Only You
by unicornstickersrainbowkisses
Summary: Callie and Arizona fell in love when they were young. Now, it’s years later, and everything has changed. Can they get past all of their hurt in order to make their way back to each other? Are they truly fated to only love one person forever?
1. Chapter 1

Callie Torres was a superstar with a scalpel, and she knew it. She was a kickass surgeon who loved her job and was so fucking good at it, and she couldn't ask for more. She had worked hard to get where she was, and she was unbelievably happy with her life. She had just completely rocked a complicated eleven hour procedure, and she was certain that it had just secured her the attending position that she had been dreaming of since the first day of her residency.

Callie was pretty much on top of the world.

She made her way to the locker room, a huge grin plastered on her face. She was aching to hop in the shower, change, and head out for a celebratory drink at the bar across the street. After a long day of work, she absolutely knew that she deserved it.

The residents' lounge was mostly empty when she entered. Meredith Grey and Christina Yang were quietly talking as they changed out of their scrubs, while Alex Karev snored on one of the benches. Callie made her way over to her friends, fourth year residents that she had quickly grown fond of a few years previously after a disastrous fling with one of their classmates. They both acknowledged her with smiles as she opened her locker and fished around for the hygiene products she kept stashed.

"What's with Karev?" Callie asked over her shoulder as she peeled her scrub top off.

Christina rolled her eyes. "The Evil Spawn couldn't handle the new Peds attending. You should have heard him complaining about how exhausted he was. Amateur."

"So the attending is a hardass?"

"Apparently so," Meredith said. "Isn't it sad that this is the biggest drama in our lives right now? What happened to almost drownings and leaving people at the alter? I miss those days."

Callie groaned as she gathered her things and headed to the bathroom. She didn't miss the drama whatsoever. Currently she was single and focusing on her work, and it was exactly what she needed. Life was exciting enough without traumatizing experiences or rollercoaster romances.

She wasn't entirely sure if she believed that. But sometimes it was easier to lie to herself.

After quickly rinsing off and freshening up, Callie found herself weaving out of the hospital and heading straight for the bar. It was a clear night, rare for Seattle, and she appreciated the calm of the evening. It was nice to leave the chaos behind at times and escape into a different world.

The popular after-work hangout was crowded when she entered. Doctors and nurses frequently flocked here after their long shifts, and Callie enjoyed seeing familiar faces. It was too depressing to drink alone.

Meredith and Christina had snagged a booth already, and Callie joined them. Derek Shepherd and Mark Sloan were also there, the dynamic duo of dreamy doctors passing out beers to everyone at the table. Callie noticed a few of her other friends scattered throughout the bar, involved in games of darts, ordering drinks, and flirting with others in an attempt to take someone home to bed. Callie was content with just socially drinking a few beers and just enjoying the company of those she considered her friends.

The conversation quickly revolved around surgeries, not that anyone minded. They were doctors, and this is what they loved. And Callie would be lying if she said that she didn't love boasting about the exceptional job she had done earlier that day.

As their glasses emptied, Callie slipped to the bar to grab another round for the table. She was quickly joined by Mark, who some would argue was her best friend. She had an interesting relationship with him, that much was true, and she had to admit that he was one of her favorite people in the world.

"Want to come over tonight, Torres?" he asked under his breath, making sure to add his signature smolder.

"I thought you were going to ask Lexie out?"

"Timing is off. And I don't think that there is just one person you're destined to be with. It'll happen, trust me."

Callie bit her lip for a moment. "I don't know. I believe in fate, I guess."

He chuckled. "Well then you must know that you are fated to have really great sex tonight."

She lightly punched his shoulder as the tray of beer was placed in front of her. "You're an ass," she told him as she passed the drinks to him. Callie then turned away, heading to slip into the bathroom for a moment.

"You love me, Torres!"

Callie waved her hand at Mark, neither confirming or denying his statement. He was ridiculous, but also lovable. And even though a lot of their relationship was based in hookups, he still was a loyal and good friend, and she'd always love him for that.

She made her way to the mirror as soon as she entered the bathroom. She wiped her face and touched up her makeup a bit. It had been a long day, and though she was having a great time, she could see the bags under her eyes becoming more prominent.

A stall opened behind her, and she barely registered the sound as she ran her fingers through her ebony curls. A flash of blonde caught her eye, and she turned, only to see a petite woman frozen in place.

Holy, fucking, shit.

Standing there, in the flesh, was the blonde woman that had shaped her world entirely. The woman that had completely captured her heart while also simultaneously shattering it into a million pieces. Callie had finally moved on and pursued a life of her own, but her past was haunting her here and now. And she wanted no part of it.

The blonde spoke first, breaking the silence that had taken them over.

"Hello, Calliope."

"Arizona," she started with a small shake of her head, "what the hell are you doing in Seattle?"

"I'm the new Peds attending." She stood up tall with her head held high. "And I guess, since we are both here, I'd like to make things right between us."

Callie tilted her head to the side, her mind racing with thoughts of her freshman year of college. A secret romance with the wonderful girl across the hall. Nights spent talking about anything and everything while two hearts started to beat as one. Kisses that felt like fireworks. And the day that Arizona left without a word, ruining the best thing that had ever happened to Callie.

She hadn't thought about that semester for so long, and for a good reason. It triggered an ache in her heart that sometimes felt so unbearable that Callie wanted to burrow under her covers and escape the world forever. There was a reason that she had been trying to erase Arizona Robbins from her life entirely, because that woman caused her the most pain that she had ever felt.

"Things will never be right, Arizona."

With that, Callie turned around and exited the bathroom, her life completely turned upside down.

Well, goddamn it.

 **After quite a long break, I have returned to the world of fanfiction! It's great to be back.**

 **This is my first time dabbling in Grey's Anatomy fanfic, and I am beyond excited! I've always wanted to write about these characters, so here it goes. I know this first chapter is short, but I have a lot planned for this story. I hope you lovely readers will choose to stick around!**

 **Please let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

Arizona had jumped at the chance to move to Seattle. It was an awesome attending position, especially for someone who had just finished her fellowship a few months ago. She knew she was one of the best doctors in her field, and she had worked damn hard to get where she was today, so this was only proving that. While John Hopkins had shaped her as a professional, Seattle Grace hospital had offered her a chance to really spread her wings and show exactly what she could do.

It hadn't been an easy move, but she made it work. She had packed everything she owned in her little car and driven out here all by herself. She had found an ad at the hospital for another doctor who was looking for a roommate, and next thing she knew, she was moving into a room in a condo shared with one of Seattle Grace's heart surgeons, Teddy Altman. While a little chaotic getting set up at home and at work, her first week had gone well. And her first day at work was incredible. She established who she was and proved her worth, showing her residents that she was going to push them and expect excellence. It was exhilarating, and she loved every second of it. Seattle was everything she wanted.

Until now.

Calliope was a huge part of her past, something she still hadn't fully gotten over. She had no idea that the Latina was here, of all places, and seeing her had definitely thrown everything off.

God, she wished that she could start over with her. So much had changed since college, and she knew that she hadn't left things well between them, and she would like a chance to right that. It didn't seem that Callie felt the same.

Arizona stormed out of the bar, her jaw clenched. She wasn't necessarily mad at Callie, but she was beyond frustrated right now. Everything had been so perfect, and she felt so confident, and now she had no idea where she would go from here.

She drove back to her place in silence, and hoped to just crack open a bottle of wine and sulk in her room once she got there. Her plans were foiled almost immediately, as Teddy and another attending were practically ready to pounce on her once she opened the door.

"Arizona!" Teddy squealed, notably already a bit tipsy. "We've been waiting for you!"

"You have to join our girls' night. No exceptions!" Addison Montgomery said, a rather large bottle of tequila in her hand.

On one hand, Arizona really just wanted to be a recluse and throw a pity party for herself. But...she did really like Teddy, and Addison had always been someone that she had professionally looked up to, so she couldn't throw away the chance to spend time and get to know the red-head.

"Why the hell not?"

After seeing the woman she had loved for years, Arizona needed a stiff drink. And now that things at Seattle Grace looked rockier than expected, she would need friends on her side.

Addison and Teddy both cheered, ushering her into the living room. Once the three of them settled on the couches, Addison poured each of them a shot while Teddy retrieved a bowl of limes from the kitchen.

"Okay ladies, on three. One, two, three!" Teddy instructed, followed by the three doctors throwing back their shots of alcohol and sucking on limes.

The liquor hit Arizona fast, giving her the rush that she needed. She felt her face split into a smile, and the stress brought on from seeing Callie slowly started to evaporate. She wanted to push that to the side, and this seemed the exact way to do just that.

"So, Arizona," Addison started as she tossed her lime to the side, "tell us everything."

"About?"

"Your life story. Your deepest darkest secrets. Your first day. Hell, I don't care. But I know Teddy very well, and you're new and exciting, so start talking."

Where should she begin? It would be easy to give the brief rundown of her life, rattling off facts that didn't set her apart, but that was boring. And, she just so happened to have quite a massive weight resting on her shoulders, and she desperately wanted to shed that. These two were the closest thing to friends that she had here in Seattle, and she found herself wanting to tell them everything.

"Well, for starters, after my shift I went to the bar because that's where I heard that everyone at the hospital goes. So I just wanted to fit in. But, then I just so happened to run into Callie Torres."

"I know Torres. Good surgeon. Weird mixed friendship and relationship with Mark. I walked in on them having sex in a storage closet once," Addison responded as she visibly moved to the edge of her seat.

Arizona had been with plenty of other partners, and she expected that Callie would do the same, but she still felt a twinge of jealousy upon hearing that the brunette was with another. She didn't know if it was her place to feel that way.

She let out a sigh. "See...here's the thing: I know Callie. We spent a semester of college together before I transferred home to deal with some personal issues. But, let's just say that things did not end well, and today just showed me that nothing has changed since then. Which obviously isn't fucking true, because everything is different. But Callie is determined to hate me, and even though she has a right to, I don't think it's fair and it really hurts so fucking much that she's so closed off already even though it's been over a decade since everything happened between us." Arizona finished with a collapse against the couch, her eyes instantly finding the texture on the ceiling and scanning the little patterns it made.

Teddy was the first to speak. "Woah."

"Woah, indeed."

"What all happened between the two of you?" Addison inquired.

Arizona scoffed and ran her hand down her face. "We are gonna need more alcohol if we are gonna delve into that."

* * *

"I am so unbelievably hungover," Arizona muttered under her breath to one of her new friends as she collected a few charts from the Peds desk. "Like, I am actively begging for death."

Addison laughed, only to cringe as her own headache kicked in. "It's hard to take that seriously when you are wearing heelies." She flipped through her own charts before cradling them under her arm and turning towards Labor and Delivery.

"Screw you," Arizona retorted, making sure that she was loud enough for Addison to hear her remark. While she was absolutely miserable, she didn't regret last night. It had been good to open up and make some friends, and all her worries had almost vanished away.

Almost.

Getting a lot off her chest felt like a major relief, but at the end of the day, it hadn't really solved anything.

She scooped up her paperwork and turned towards the four residents that would be working with her today. They all looked just as exhausted as she felt, but she put her game face on. It was time to be the hardcore, badass pediatric surgeon that she was.

"Alright everyone. For rounds today, I really want to see your best work. In Peds you may work with children, but this is no child's game. I am only interested in working with the best and brightest doctors here, and if that isn't you, turn around and walk away now. Working with the tiny humans is a privilege reserved for those worthy to be on my service. Clear?" Her voice was enthusiastic and bubbly, and she could tell that these residents weren't taking her seriously. But they would. She would earn their respect.

She knew that she was coming off a little tough, but she had to get this right. Some doctors in the past hadn't taken her seriously because she loved heelies and was all about sunshine and rainbows. That would not be the case here. She had to establish herself as a force to be reckoned with.

She swiftly turned and started towards her first patient's room, feeling slightly euphoric at the sound of doctors following her lead. She would be lying if she said that she didn't love being in charge.

They did their rounds without too many hiccups. Lexie Grey was proving to be incredibly intelligent and adept, and she interacted well the the patients. But there wasn't the passion for Peds that Arizona was looking for. Aaron Lucas was clearly uninterested in children and it was painful to watch. Samantha Goldberg had the people skills and bedside manner, but wasn't super quick on her feet, and seemed more like an intern than a second year resident. But, there was Alex Karev.

He was abrasive, arrogant, and definitely wasn't made to be a charmer. On the outside, he was the farthest thing from a doctor that should work with kids. However, Arizona saw something in him. He was intelligent and saw things from a unique perspective. While his people skills needed fine tuning, he was a doctor that would fiercely fight for his patients. And though it wasn't obvious, he had a gentle and soft side that would make him an excellent surgeon for children.

Bingo. She'd found her guy.

After rounds, once she had sent her little team of surgeons off with their various assignments, she pulled Alex aside.

"Karev, would you be interested in working in Peds? I am looking for a resident to shadow me, and I think you might be the doctor for the job. What do you think?"

Arizona wasn't sure what she expected, but Alex's response wasn't it.

"No freaking way dude. I'm Team Torres on this one. Find someone else."

As he walked away, Arizona wasn't sure what to think. This didn't seem real. Just yesterday she was seeing her long lost ex-lover for the first time in over a decade, and now it seemed that this was affecting things completely unrelated. She was imagining this, right?

When she left school behind, and the woman she loved more than anything with it, she closed that chapter of her life. There were other things, other hardships, that she faced, and she couldn't have brought Callie into that. She was certain that she had done the right thing, but she'd been haunted by her choice for years. It was difficult to shove everything away, but it was what needed to be done. Arizona had spent so much time convincing herself that she and Callie were not meant to be, and that leaving was her only choice. She told herself that it was just young love, and that it wouldn't have lasted anyway. She had made peace with that and with herself, and had moved on. She thought that she had finally gotten to a place where she was actually happy, and that though she had made mistakes, she could be content.

Standing in the hospital corridor now, she realized that her life wasn't what she had thought it was.

And that Calliope Torres was going to be a part of it once again, whether she liked it or not.

 **Thanks for all of the wonderful feedback! I have been overwhelmed by how much love I have gotten for this story already, and that inspires me to write more! I appreciate all of you that have taken the time to read my story. I thank all of you that have left compliments and constructive criticism, and I truly try to listen to all that you say. Thanks again!**

 **Please let me know what you think! Chapters are a bit short, and it may seem like it is off to a slow start, but things will really be picking up, so stay tuned!!**


	3. Chapter 3

_"Mija, please just let me set you up in an apartment. Then you can have your own space, your own bathroom, and you don't have to worry about all these other people. Aria loved living on her own."_

 _"Daddy," Callie started, pausing to lug the very overpacked suitcase up a few stairs, "I want the dorm experience. It's a part of college that I want to enjoy. That may have worked for Aria, but that's not what I want."_

 _Carlos sighed as he pulled another incredibly heavy suitcase behind him. "If you're happy, I'm happy. But the offer still stands to move somewhere that at least has an elevator."_

 _Callie chuckled as she fished her new dorm keys out of her pocket. A few doors down, she finally found a sign with her name in bold letters, signaling that this was her new home. She was unbelievably excited to start college, and this was just the first step._

 _Her parents offered to stay and help her set everything up, but she declined. Once all of her things were in her room, she wanted the independence of creating her very own space all by herself. She could tell that they were disappointed, but they understood. She wasn't their little girl anymore, and she was eager to spread her wings._

 _The commotion of other students moving into their rooms was exciting background noise as Callie organized her new haven. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face the entire time. She never thought that putting posters up would be the highlight of her day, but here she was. Her father had at least insisted on a private room, and now she was even more grateful for that. While having a roommate would have been fun, Callie liked that this space belonged solely to her._

 _There was a soft knock on her door later in the evening, and Callie happily swung it open to greet the person on the other side. And as soon as she did, her breath stopped._

 _The most beautiful and stunning person that Callie had ever seen was standing before her. She had long, shimmering golden hair that was twisted into two loose braids. Her ivory skin glowed and seemed smooth and soft. The smile that morphed her face was sparkling and radiated warmth. She wore simple jeans and a flowery t-shirt, and her casual outfit accentuated all of her qualities. But what drew Callie in more than anything was those eyes. They were the brightest and most brilliant shade of blue she had ever seen. In that instant, she wanted to dive into those eyes and get lost. She wanted to gaze into those eyes every second of every day._

 _"Hi! I'm Arizona Robbins. We are neighbors!"_

 _There was so much pep and enthusiasm in her voice, and it was contagious. Callie's face split into a huge grin, and she could feel the jubilation bubbling up inside her. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before._

 _"Callie Torres," she squealed, mentally kicking herself for already being nervous, but more importantly, letting it show._

 _The blonde rose her brow. "Huh. Weird. I thought your name was Calliope."_

 _"Well shit," Callie blurted out, instantly covering her mouth. "Sorry, it's just...I don't love that name, and I prefer 'Callie', so just...call me that." She was stumbling over her words, and hated how awkward she was being. She wanted to impress this girl more than anything._

 _Arizona smirked. "I could call you that, but I prefer 'Calliope'. It's a beautiful name fit for a beautiful woman."_

 _Callie was a goner. She was certain of that more than anything._

 _"I'm getting a group together to go get burgers at that diner down the street. And I think that you should come. In fact, I wish that I had invited you first so we could have ditched everyone else."_

 _"I kind of wish that too."_

 _"So you're in?" Arizona questioned as she nibbled on her bottom lip, clearly anxious to hear Callie's answer._

 _"Absolutely." Callie had never been so sure of something before. Arizona Robbins had already wormed her way into her life, and though she had no idea where this was headed, she was completely ready for the adventure that was standing at her door now._

 _Callie eagerly grabbed her things and followed the blonde out the door. They ended up getting food with five other students from their dorm, and it was a fun group. She actively felt herself making friends. despite being distracted every second._

 _She didn't know what it was about Arizona, but she was fully mesmerized by her. She was hilarious, intelligent, kind, and beautiful inside and out. Callie was drawn to her in every way, and she craved to know every single thing about the blonde. That feeling excited her, but was also completely terrifying._

 _She had dated plenty of boys throughout high school, but never any girls. Sure, she had admired from afar, but this was completely new territory for her. She liked Arizona, and she had butterflies around her. She wondered how it would feel to run her fingers through those golden locks, how it would feel to touch that soft porcelain skin, or to gently press her lips against the rosy mouth that she couldn't take her eyes off of..._

 _Callie definitely had a crush on Arizona already, and she didn't know what to do about it._

 _Her whole life, she was told that this was wrong. Her religious background had drilled into her head that homosexuality was a sin, and she could hear her mother's voice chastising her for her filthy and immoral thoughts about the other woman. Maybe she was disgusting, wrong, and sinful in the eyes of others, but she didn't think that she was. The feelings about Arizona that had already started to form felt more right than anything that she had experienced before. Callie had no desire to fight that._

 _After dinner, the group retreated together back to their rooms. Callie and Arizona were the stragglers, and not by accident. While her other peers were great, her only desire was to be around the blonde woman with the blue eyes that captured her entire soul with every look._

 _The halls were fairly deserted as they made their way to their rooms. Arizona was right across the hall from Callie, and they both idly stood outside their subsequent dorms, neither of them wanting to quite end their time together._

 _"Well, Calliope, I had a great time." Callie's face broke out in a grin. "God, that megawatt smile is gonna be the fucking death of me."_

 _A blush crept into Callie's cheeks, and her toes curled. What was this woman doing to her?_

 _Arizona stepped forward, pulling Callie into her arms in a close embrace._

 _The blonde's scent was sweet, and Callie desired to hold onto her forever. They fit together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces that had been desperately searching for each other. Callie had never entertained the idea of love at first sight or soulmates, but now, those were the only words that were popping into her head. It was crazy, right?_

 _As soon as they parted, they air was heavy and intense around them. Their lips were so close that Callie could feel Arizona's breath dancing across her skin. The blonde brought her hand up, the pads of her fingers daintily caressing Callie's caramel cheek._

 _"Goodnight, Calliope," Arizona whispered before pulling away._

 _Their eyes held one another's until each of them had moved to their own door and opened it. Callie smiled at Arizona, and the gesture was reciprocated before the blonde turned away._

 _Callie slipped back into her room, leaning fully against the door as soon as she closed it. The thundering of her heart echoed throughout the silent room and the heat spreading through her was overwhelming. God, she had never been so consumed by another human being. She wanted her. She wanted Arizona Robbins more than she had ever wanted anything before._

 _With her mind made up, Callie flung the door open, determined to march straight across the hall and tell Arizona exactly how she felt. Her plans were foiled, however, when she was immediately met with Arizona standing in her own doorway, the same idea evident in the blonde._

 _They both moved swiftly in sync across the hall until they met in the middle. There was no hesitation between the two women as their lips were drawn together like two magnets. Callie's hands cupped Arizona's face while pale hands tangled in dark hair. They each let out a light sigh, as if they both had been drowning, and this kiss was them coming up for air._

 _Callie felt nothing but passion and electricity. The kiss was pure fireworks, and she never wanted it to end. Kissing Arizona Robbins ignited a fire within her that she had no idea even existed. It was everything._

 _This woman was everything._

* * *

Emergency room shifts were brutal. It still was medicine, which she loved, but not nearly enough Ortho work to satisfy Callie. Plus, while she couldn't deny that trauma work did give her a certain rush, she would much rather be in the operating room with a bone or a scalpel in her hands.

Luckily, she finally had a minute to take a step away, so she slipped to the cafeteria to grab a quick lunch. Meredith and Alex had snagged a table, and once she grabbed a sandwich and chips, she promptly took her seat with them.

After a disastrous attempt at dating their friend and roommate, Callie had found a small silver lining. Spending so much time pining after George, who absolutely was never worth it, had given her the opportunity to form solid friendships with Meredith, Cristina, and Alex. They were some of the best people she knew, and other than Mark, she spent most of her time with them.

In fact, they had been the friends she had turned to after her run in with Arizona. She had promptly informed them that night that she needed to vent over hard liquor, which was all it took to move their gathering to Meredith's place. Between numerous shots, Callie had rambled in a strange mix of Spanish and English all about her fated and doomed relationship with the blonde. She wasn't sure how much they had actually taken in, but she made it clear.

She resented Arizona Robbins.

As soon as she took her seat, Alex threw a french fry at her face in order to capture her full attention. "Yo, I defended your honor today. I deserve some empanadas."

"I'm not going to make you dinner every time that you behave like a decent person."

"You should. We are trying to condition him not to be an asshole. He's making our job rather difficult," Meredith inserted before dropping her eyes back to the article in her hands.

"Then tell me, oh mighty and chivalrous one, whatever did you do?"

"McBitchy asked me to shadow her on her service, and I declined the offer, since, you know, it would have been the ultimate betrayal." Alex saluted her with a fry before shoving it in his face, just like the true gentleman he was.

Callie leaned back in her chair. "What did you call her?"

"Cristina coined the term this morning over coffee. We needed a good nickname for your ex-lover," Meredith informed her as she made notes in the margins of her paper. "It's not the most original, but it has a nice ring to it."

She didn't disagree. It was nice to see her friends banding together to stand up for her. That's what true friends should do, after all. But, it felt wrong. Callie was overcome with a feeling of guilt that she couldn't shake. She had no problem dumping all of her passion into hatred, but she didn't want her friends doing the same. Callie had genuine reasons for her negative feelings, but her friends were only treating Arizona like this because she practically told them to. And, even though the hurt was fresher than it had been, Callie could still remember the wonderful woman that had stolen her heart. Arizona may have done wrong by her, but Callie had no doubt that she was still an incredible person that had grown to become an exceptional surgeon. She didn't want her ostracized for something that had happened thirteen years ago.

"Guys..." she started, but Callie was cut off by the shrill sound of her beeper, calling her to action. The sound only grew louder as every other doctors' pager received the same call, creating an ominous orchestra throughout the cafeteria.

Shit. An incoming trauma.

Here we go.

There was something strangely beautiful about the rush of doctors towards the ambulance bay. Though they definitely were all on edge, they were ready and prepared for whatever would come through that door. It was a choreographed dance as they all slipped into yellow trauma gowns and gloves, lined up at attention outside the doors, and waited for their assignments.

"Alright, everyone. Major trauma coming in. A train derailed, and there are already lots of casualties. Injuries are severe, people, so we are pushing all non-emergent procedures. It's gonna be a long day, everyone, so settle in for the long haul." The chief of Trauma, Owen Hunt, was a no-nonsense military man, and he was preparing all of his soldiers for battle. Their valiant captain was ready to lead the charge as soon as the first ambulance rolled in.

It was pure chaos in the E.R. once patients started rolling in. Their injuries were all over the place, and Callie felt herself pulled in every direction. People were dying all around her, which only pushed her to save even more lives. She was good at her job, she was a healer, and she was going to do everything that she could for these people.

She made her rounds throughout the E.R., helping with stabilization and assessments. It was brutal, but she didn't give up. This was what she did, and saving lives was what she was good at.

It wasn't long before she started getting pulled into surgeries. Even though she was still in her residency, it was no secret that she was one of the most talented Orthopedic surgeons at the hospital, so she was pulled into quite a few procedures. She mended broken bones, amputated limbs, reset some joints, and a variety of other procedures. Nothing too complicated, but work that she didn't need supervised. Her attending knew the work she was capable of, so she got assigned to cases that she could handle no problem. It was a compliment, she knew that much, but she was itching to get her hands on something complex and difficult, something that would prove to be a proper challenge.

Finally, that time arrived. As she was scrubbing out of a surgery where she repaired a broken collarbone, an intern found her, presenting her with a chart. A seven year old boy had major abdomen trauma, and in addition to that, his right leg bones had been practically shattered. The other surgeons on the case had stabilized him enough so that she could also work on him, and if she didn't start soon, there was a chance that he wouldn't walk again.

She wasn't about to let that happen.

Callie quickly and efficiently scrubbed in, and entered the operating room full of confidence. She needed to see the leg in person before she could fully begin, but she already was designing a plan in her mind. She considered a variety of procedures as nurses helped her don her gown and gloves, and she was so wrapped up in the surgery already that she barely registered the rest of the room.

As she took her place at the leg, she slipped some magnifying spectacles on and scanned the damage. "How's it looking so far in here?"

She heard a sharp intake of breath, and her gaze flashed upward, only to lock into the brilliant, magnificent, blue orbs that she had been mesmerized by since the first time she saw them. And, even though she wished she was anywhere but trapped in a room with the person she once had believed was the love of her life, she felt her heart skip a beat. Those eyes had always been her weakness, and they would now prove to be a more challenging obstacle today than the surgery she was working on.

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you! Seeing the feedback and excitement for this story has only motivated me to write more! I am truly loving writing these characters, and I have so many plans for this story. I already am fully invested in this journey, and I hope that my wonderful readers are as well.**

 **A few of you have expressed a few questions, so I just want to clarify my timeline a bit. Callie and Arizona met their Freshman year of college, and after their first semester, Arizona left without any explanation. They haven't seen each other since then, thirteen entire years, but that does not mean that those feelings went away during that time. We will find out more about that with each chapter. I hope that clears things up a bit.**

 **Thank you again for reading my story. I cannot express how validating it is as a writer to see people loving my work. If you have thoughts about this story, please review! I read each and every one, and they all put a huge smile on my face. I love hearing what you all think!**


	4. Chapter 4

Arizona was deep in the abdomen of a seven year old boy, so now was not the time for her to feel overwhelmed by Callie. But, she was. She had not expected to share the O.R. with her so soon, and yet, here they were.

Chocolate orbs held her gaze momentarily. Arizona had forgotten what it was like to look into those eyes. God, she had loved this woman so much. She remembered a time when she had spent hours enthralled by those eyes, determined that they were going to spend their lives together. How wrong she had been.

She shook herself out of her thoughts and returned to the patient. "His vitals are stable for now. There's a ton of damage to his intestines, so I'm working on that. I paged for Ortho because his leg needs to be set as soon as possible or-"

"-he won't walk on it again. Trust me, I know," Callie finished. "Got it. Scalpel." The brunette held out her hand, and once she was given her tool, she got to work.

Arizona was focused on her patient, as any good doctor would be. Still, whenever she could, she felt herself trying to catch glimpses of Callie.

They had always talked about being doctors in the future, and seeing it happen now was surreal. Here they were, saving a life, both of them fulfilling their dreams. Callie worked with such grace and precision, it was pure artistry. The concentration and focus the brunette had in her eyes was powerful. Arizona could see her determination to heal, and it made her heart swell the smallest bit.

During college, the two of them had spent hours pouring over Biology textbooks together, committed to learning everything they needed to go into medicine. Arizona and Callie had talked about going to med school together and doing their residencies together and just BEING together...but that obviously didn't work out. Things usually never did, in Arizona's experience.

It was practically silent in the operating room as they all individually worked on their areas of the patient. Beeps of machines and exchanges of tools were the only noises Arizona heard, and it drove her crazy. She desperately wanted to talk to Callie. Even just to make a comment like, "Look, we fucking made it! Go us!"

Dear God, she hated how things were right now.

She had made her choice. When things went wrong, she hadn't wanted to involve Callie. She had wanted to protect her love from everything horrible in the world. There were regrets, sure, and things that she could have done differently. But overall, she wouldn't change how she handled things. She did what she thought was right, even if Callie couldn't see that.

Arizona didn't have a single clue as to what she should do.

Her eyes flicked up, and they locked with Callie's. So many new things were swimming in those depths, thirteen years worth of ups and downs and triumphs and failures and love and heartbreak and a whole life. She wanted to know everything. She wanted to know Callie again. She didn't want a life without the woman in front of her, but she'd always known that. Those feelings were just stronger than ever right now.

And still...she was hurt. It felt like the world was against her. Everyone already was siding with Callie, but they didn't know the whole story. She felt like she was stuck deep within a hole, and there was no way to climb out.

She still had work, though. Maybe she would just fully invest herself into her job while she tried to figure everything else out. Work was her strength and her passion, and it could be her haven while she was faced with countless unknowns.

With a deep breath, Arizona shoved all thoughts of Callie out of her mind. Instead she became hyper aware of her actions. She thought through every stitch, an act that was almost as natural to her as breathing. She focused so intensely on her work that she quickly became submerged in it.

As she finally began her resection of the bowel, her current plan was interrupted by the frenzied beeping of the machine. The patient was coding, and she had no clue about the reason why.

"What's going on?" Callie questioned, immediately moving from the leg to the abdomen.

"I don't know! I was repairing the small intestine and this blood started coming out of nowhere. Suction!"

The intern next to her grabbed the tool and frantically started following her instructions. Callie moved across from her, and together they searched for the source of the bleeding.

Arizona's mind was running a mile a minute. She calculated everything that could possibly be happening and did everything that she could. Callie's hands perfectly mirrored hers, and the two of them worked seamlessly together. They were the ultimate partnership, and Arizona completely trusted the doctor she was working with.

"Got it!" Callie exclaimed, dipping her fingers deeper. "There's a tear on the left ventricle. I think I can repair it." A nurse handed her a tool, and she frantically worked. Arizona assisted her, giving support and efforts from her side of the table. They teamed up and mumbled instructions to one another as they worked to make this repair and stabilize their patient. Finally, as Callie tied off a stitch, the beepings on the monitor ceased.

"Thank God," Arizona exhaled.

"Fuck yeah!" Callie cheered. The two of them locked eyes, and Arizona felt a sense of accomplishment and teamwork that was an ultimate high.

She had always thought that her and Callie would work well together, and they really did.

They were both grinning to each other from behind their masks, but as soon as Arizona noticed, the moment died, and Callie's face fell. It was like the brunette was reminded that she was still angry with Arizona.

"Let's...finish up."

Callie nodded and returned to the work on the leg. For the rest of the surgery, they worked in silence, each left alone with their thoughts.

Luckily, everything else went by smoothly. The boy pulled through, and all the repairs went perfectly. He would have a lot of recovery and rehabilitation, but he would live. Saving a life was always a tremendous feeling, and Arizona held her head high as she stripped her gown, gloves, and mask.

She found herself in the scrub room, carefully washing her hands and removing all evidence of the past procedure from herself. As she cleaned under her fingernails, she was joined in the room by the person she had so many mixed feelings about.

"Good job in there, Dr. Torres ," Arizona said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Callie was silent for a moment before she answered. "You can call me 'Callie', you know."

Arizona turned the water off and began to dry her hands. "You're an excellent surgeon. I'm glad that worked out for you."

"Same goes for you."

She drummed her fingers on the sink. "Callie...I'd like to talk. To explain myself. If not to make things better, but so we can at least be civil. I don't want there to be a feud between us."

"Alex told me what he said to you. That wasn't my intention. I'm sorry for that," she stated, brown eyes flicking up to meet blue. "But...I'm not sure if I want to talk. I just," Callie took a deep breath, "I don't know where I'm at with you, Arizona. I am so angry at you and yet I want you so bad. The person I loved more than anything hurt me more than anyone else ever has, and I really don't know how to deal with that. I thought that I got over it, but having you here now...it's just brought all of those feelings back, which is more confusing than anything. I'm sorry, but I can't do this."

Arizona understood where Callie was coming from, she did. But she was angry that she offered an olive branch just to have it thrown back in her face.

"You know what, Callie, you don't know the whole story. I can take credit for my mistakes, but if you don't let me explain myself, then your misery is on you. I'm fucking trying to make things up to you, but I'm not going to play this game. It's just too hard."

She moved to storm out, but froze at the door at the sound of Callie's voice.

"What is that?" she inquired, her words small and shaky.

Arizona looked down, only to see that the left leg of her scrubs had gotten caught in her prosthetic, revealing her artificial leg to Callie. An artificial leg that she most definitely didn't have when they were together.

She roughly yanked the material down to cover her leg. "I told you, Calliope, you don't know the whole story."

* * *

 _Arizona exited the plane, a backpack strapped to her shoulders and a duffel in her hand. Her day of travel had been much longer than expected, as snow delays had debilitated the flight. She was exhausted, and she longed to crawl into her childhood bed and make a cocoon with her favorite blanket._

 _As she took the escalator down towards baggage claim, her eyes scanned the crowd for her parents. She hadn't seen them since she left for school, and she was eager to be wrapped in their arms. She was lucky enough to have incredible parents, and the next two weeks with them promised to be a practically perfect vacation._

 _Well, almost. After all, a piece of her heart was currently in Miami on their own Christmas vacation._

 _God, she longed to see Callie again. They had only been apart less than a day, as they had gone to the airport together this morning, but she felt so empty without her love by her side. She had hardly gotten to talk to her girlfriend today too, since Callie and her had both been on planes. Once she got home tonight, time differences be damned, she was going to call Callie. Getting to hear that melodious voice she was head over heels for was going to be the highlight of her night._

 _Her fingers fidgeted with the gold heart that hung around her neck. Callie and her had exchanged Christmas presents before they left, only to discover that they had coincidentally bought each other the exact same necklaces, just in different colors. If that wasn't proof that they were soulmates, Arizona didn't know what was. Seeing the silver pendant hanging around that gorgeous neck was one of her favorite sights. And having her own necklace made her feel like Calliope was always with her, which was the best feeling in the world._

 _Arizona's mind was often swimming with thoughts of the Latina beauty that was her world, today was no exception, and not much could derail her train of thought. Usually._

 _Blue eyes locked with identical orbs, ones that she hadn't seen in almost a year. Her brother was here._

 _"Timmy!" she squealed, tossing her bag to the ground so she could sprint and leap into his awaiting arms. He caught her with ease, and as soon as he locked her in his embrace, he spun her around. "I didn't think you'd be home," she whispered, her voice soft as tears welled up in her eyes. He had been deployed overseas for eleven months, and she had missed him more than she thought was physically possible._

 _He set her down and grinned as he wiped her tears away. "I got home last night, and I wanted to surprise you all. I convinced Mom and Dad to let me pick you up myself so we could have some time together. God, I missed you, Zona."_

 _Her eyes scanned her brother, taking him all in. His platinum blonde hair was short and neat, and he had the faintest hint of stubble on his chin. He seemed taller and stronger since she last saw him, as if he was fully blossoming into a man. He was barely twenty-one, and yet, his eyes now held so much maturity and wisdom. Underneath all of that, the soldier before her was still her brother, and he was the same playful, mischievous, adventurous person she had known for her entire life. Seeing him join the service had been difficult, but she had fully supported him. Having him here with her now, though, made her selfishly wish that he had never enlisted. Eleven months was far too long without her brother._

 _Tim went and grabbed her discarded bag, which Arizona had almost completely forgotten about. He then looped his arm through hers, and began guiding her to the parking lot where his truck awaited._

 _"Did Mom and Dad flip out when you came home?" she asked once their started the drive to their parents' house._

 _"For sure. We all thought, myself included, that my unit had at least two more months out there. It's nice to be home for Christmas with you guys."_

 _Arizona couldn't agree more. This was one of the best feelings in the world. But, she had to burst their bubble for a moment and ask the question that had slowly been creeping into her mind. "When do you have to go back?"_

 _"January fourth." He was quiet for a moment before glanced over, noticing the disappointment that already crossed Arizona's face. Like the excellent big brother that he was, he reached across the cab of the truck to lace their fingers together. "Don't be sad, Zona. I'm here now, and that's what matters Okay?" She nodded, knowing that he was right. He usually was, not that she would ever tell him that. It would completely go to his head. "You gonna tell me about your lady anytime soon?" Tim looked towards her and gave an over-exaggerated wink. "Or am I gonna have to torture it out of ya?" He dropped her hand and pinched her side, causing her to squeal._

 _She was thankful for the distraction, and the opportunity to talk about much better things. "Mercy! I'll tell you!" Tim pumped his fist through the air before returning his attention to the road. "Her name is Calliope. And she's a goddess in every single way. I'm completely in love with her, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her."_

 _"So confident, already?"_

 _Arizona looked towards her big brother, her best friend. Since they had moved around so much as children, they had relied on each other entirely. He was the one person she consistently turned to, and she told him everything. It had been hell while he was overseas, as she didn't get to talk to him nearly as much as she usually did. She wanted to share everything with him. Callie had changed her life, and he needed to know._

 _"She's the one, Timmy. My soulmate. I know it seems crazy, and we may be young, but I don't care. She's it for me. Calliope is the only one I'm ever going to love for the rest of my life. I'm certain of that."_

 _He grinned. "My baby sister is growing up. Good for you, Zona. I know that life hasn't always been easy. I love you for who you are and I always have, but unfortunately, the world is full of assholes that can't see how truly magnificent you are. But you deserve the world. Goddamn it, you deserve the entire fucking universe. And if Callie is the one for you then love her dude. Love her proud and love her loud and love her with everything you've got. No one can take that away from you."_

 _Arizona's eyes welled up with tears. She was full of so much love for her brother that she could barely stand it. Their eyes locked, and they silently communicated how much they meant to each other with a single look. Tim's face bore a giant smile, and it was one of the images that Arizona would forever treasure, as it made her unbelievably happy._

 _They held each other's gaze for so long that they weren't paying attention to their surroundings. Arizona was the first one to notice the bright lights speeding far too close to them._

 _It was too late when she realized that a van was heading straight towards them, and would collide with her brother's side of the car in less than a second._

 _"TIM!" she shrieked, but as soon as his name left her lips, everything went black._

 **Thank you so much to everyone that has taken the time to read and review this story! I know that this journey is just beginning, but I am loving it so far, and I hope you all are too. This story wouldn't be here without loyal readers, so thank you for that.**

 **Updates may be a little slow. Life is incredibly busy at the moment. I promise that I still am actively writing and committed to this story. I will post as much as I can, and will hopefully get more consistent once a few personal things are in order. Please be patient!**

 **Thank you again for reading. Please let me know what you think!!**


	5. Chapter 5

Callie knocked on her best friend's door, hoping that he was home. Even though her own apartment was just across the hallway, she would rather be here. She had a million things running through her head, and Mark was the only person she wanted to talk to right now.

She couldn't unsee Arizona in her mind. That prosthetic leg that was proof that the blonde had experienced significant loss. Her missing leg that showed Callie that she truly didn't know the whole story and didn't know anything about the blonde anymore. Those realizations hit her so hard, and she barely felt like she could breathe. She had been so blind and so stupid since Arizona had arrived here, and she desperately wished that she could rewind time and handle everything different. That wasn't an option, so talking to her best friend was the only logical thing she could think of. As soon as she had left the hospital, she had sprinted over here, praying that Mark could talk her through the emotions overtaking her.

The door opened up, with Mark's signature grin immediately falling once he took in the crushed expression across her face. "Who hurt you? I'll kill the motherfucker."

She pushed past him and collapsed on his couch. "Mark, I don't know what to do anymore. I really think that I messed up and I don't know how to fix it."

He was dripping with sweat, clearly in the middle of a workout. He pulled his shirt up to wipe his brow, then took a long drink of water before pulling his ottoman across from her and taking a seat. "Okay, Torres. Work, love, or family?"

"Love...I guess...I don't know if I'm allowed to consider it that anymore."

"Arizona?" he quietly asked.

Callie nodded as she flipped on her back and clutched a pillow to her chest. "Yeah. It's Arizona."

Mark was the only person she had really talked to about Arizona. She had friends and relationships that had come and gone through the past years, but nothing like what she had with him. She told him anything and everything. Meredith and Cristina always went on about how they were each other's "person", and while she didn't get it at first, she slowly realized that Mark was hers. He understood her better than anyone else, and he saw how her mind worked. He got her feelings that made absolutely no sense and were confusing to anyone else. She could open up to him about anything, no judgement, and he had never once let her down. And she needed him right now, more than anything. In fact, she was disappointed that she hadn't turned to him sooner.

He didn't know intimate details. But she had once told him about her first love and how her heart had been broken. And he had never once questioned that she could still feel so much love mixed with her resentment. She hadn't needed to tell him more than that.

"What happened?"

"She's always been the one that got away, Mark. And I was stupid enough to let my anger towards her shape everything. I don't know why I couldn't just let everything go and forgive her." Callie could already feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "It's just...she disappeared, Mark. I was with her one moment, saying our goodbyes before we parted ways for Christmas break, and then she was just gone. She didn't answer any of my calls and was a complete ghost. And when I got back to school, all of her things were completely cleared out. She vanished into thin air without any explanation as to why. She said she loved me more than anything, but then she left me. And I've had to spend thirteen years of my life trying to figure out what happened and how I lost my soulmate without any warning. It's easier to be angry than it is to just be heartbroken forever."

He stood and crossed the room, bringing her back a tissue box. She dabbed at her eyes, finally noticing the tears that had begun to freely flow.

"Callie," Mark began, "what's bringing all of this on? I mean, I got your four billion texts in all caps about how she was back, but you just seemed to be freaking out...as you sometimes tend to do." She shot him a small glare, but he raised a brow, challenging her. She resigned, knowing that he was right.

"When she first got here, I was losing my mind. Hell, I got drunk at Mer's just rambling about how pissed I was. Like, I was so mad that she was here. But when I think about it, I figure I just was so shocked by how fresh that hurt was that I didn't know what else to do. But, Jesus, it's exhausting to be so angry and against her. And now I feel like an idiot for doing so."

"Why's that, Torres?"

Callie groaned and sat up. "I'm so fucking selfish. She's had her own hardships and gone through things herself the past thirteen years. I've just been thinking of my own feelings without even considering hers. And she wanted to talk to me and I said no. That was so uncalled for, Mark. Who does that?"

"You're a human being," he stated, reaching forward to grasp her hands. "You were hurt in the past, and you acted on that. I'm not saying that you were right or wrong, just that you acted on your feelings. That doesn't make you a bad person."

She squeezed her best friend's strong hands, instantly feeling comfort. People typically only saw playboy, slightly-a-douchebag Mark, and that made her so sad. He was a genuine, kind, caring, and wonderful person, and his friendship meant the world to her.

"What am I gonna do?"

He sighed as he threaded their fingers together. "Callie, I think the real question here is: what do you want to do?"

"I want her, Mark, I always have. She's always been the one. No matter what I've done or where I've been...she's always been the one for me. She hurt me, and I need to figure out how to forgive her. But I want to do that because I want to be with her. With all of her."

Mark moved from the ottoman to sit next to Callie. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, planting a long kiss against her temple. "Well then, Torres, we are gonna get her back. I don't know how, but you and me are going to do whatever it takes for you and Arizona to be together."

* * *

 _Sleeping was so much easier with Arizona beside her. There was a certain comfort in sharing her bed that Callie had gotten used to, and she hoped that she would never sleep alone again. Typically, whenever the blonde came over to share the cramped twin bed, Callie was the first to drift off, but tonight, she couldn't quiet her mind down._

 _They hadn't had sex. Not yet. She certainly wanted to, and she could tell that Arizona shared that feeling. While they spent almost every moment they could together, for some reason, they were taking it slow, and Callie wanted to move things forward._

 _She had realized that she loved Arizona. She hadn't said it out loud yet, but it was always on the tip of her tongue. It had only been a few weeks since she met her, but they had instantly had chemistry from the first time their eyes locked. Callie had been drawn to Arizona from that first second, and every one since then had only confirmed for her that she was head over heels in love._

 _Feeling a boldness rise within her, Callie brought her lips to Arizona's throat. She planted a long, lingering kiss against a throbbing pulse point, immediately satisfied when she felt the blonde shift in her arms._

 _"I thought you were tired, Calliope."_

 _Her hands ran up and down Arizona's sides. "I'm never tired of you," she murmured as she softly kissed along a pale neck._

 _"That was cheesy," Arizona stated. She caught Callie off guard by flipping around and pressing their torsos together. Her palms cupped caramel cheeks as she nuzzled their noses together. "I loved it, though."_

 _Arizona leaned forward, desperately capturing Callie's lips with her own. There was already a frenzy and a passion between them, and her whole body felt like it was on fire. Heat gathered in her core, and it spread down all of her limbs to the tips of her fingers and toes. Her body moved in sync with Arizona's, creating the most pleasurable friction._

 _Callie's top came off first, immediately followed by Arizona's. They pressed their perked and aroused breasts together, both sighing at the stimulation. For this moment in time, there was no one else in the world except the two of them, and she wished that it could always be this way._

 _She rolled them over so she was hovering over Arizona. Callie ran her hands through golden hair before tightly grasping it. She locked their mouths together as she pressed her upper thigh between Arizona's legs, purely enjoying the gasp that escaped pink lips._

 _She pulled away from their kiss so she could trace the gorgeous face of the woman she loved. She had to tell her. She needed to tell her._

 _"Arizona..." she started, grasping her head in her hands. "I need you to know something."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _Callie took a deep breath and glued her eyes to Arizona's. "I love you." It felt amazing saying those words out loud. "I love you so much."_

 _Arizona moved up and pressed their lips together. "I love you, too." In one swift movement, Arizona flipped them over so she was straddling Callie. She threaded their fingers together and rolled her hips as she lightly kissed down Callie's neck, between her breasts, and back. "I desperately want to make love to you."_

 _"I'm yours. I'll always be yours."_

 _They frantically removed their shorts and underwear, entwining their naked limbs together. The two women molded together, and Callie couldn't tell where she began and Arizona ended. Hands roamed across bare skin as their lips caressed one another in gentle but aching need. Callie could feel a sheen of sweat form on her skin as she let her body and her full inhibitions take control._

 _Arizona, being the only one with experience with women, took the lead. Callie had had sex with a few boys in high school, but already this was more pleasurable and fulfilling than anything she had ever engaged in._

 _Pale fingers were nimble and assertive as they touched exactly where Callie needed them. Arizona had a control that was intoxicating, but she also tried differing techniques to see what the brunette liked. She lightly sucked on Callie's collarbone as she teased her entrance to the point of insanity._

 _Finally, when she could no longer take the anticipation, Callie whimpered in Arizona's ear, begging the blonde to deliver the pleasure she had promised. Blue orbs captured brown, and Arizona slipped two fingers deep inside, automatically stroking Callie's walls in a quick rhythm. She delicately but assertively curled her fingers, her lips curling into a smile as Callie let out a deep moan._

 _"Tell me what you want, Calliope."_

 _"Fuck me."_

 _Arizona removed her fingers, slithering down a tan, naked body. She hoisted Callie's legs over her shoulders and shifted until she was comfortable. She lightly blew across Callie's folds, causing a shiver to shoot across Latin skin. With perfect precision, Arizona licked along her opening before kissing the center. She dove in, inserting her tongue and creating pure ecstasy for her lover._

 _Callie lost track of time. The two of them were alone in the world together, and she felt more connected to Arizona than she ever had. She felt everything that the blonde was doing to her, and she murmured encouragements under her breath. Her hands twisted in the sheets of her bed and her muscles tensed as the heat within her built with every stroke of a finger and caress of a tongue that Arizona gave her. It was everything that making love should be, and she never wanted it to end._

 _A pout instantly crossed her face when Arizona's mouth disappeared. Before she could say anything, Arizona had crawled up the length of her body. She grasped her face in her hands and roughly kissed ruby lips, leaving Callie's own taste upon her. "Are you close, Calliope?"_

 _"So fucking close."_

 _"I want to feel you come against me." Arizona maneuvered their torsos and legs until their hot and wet centers were pressed against one another. She thrusted her hips, creating a sensation that made Callie cry out._

 _"Fuck! Don't stop!" She bit her lip as she grasped Arizona's back, no doubt leaving small crescent shaped marks across unblemished skin._

 _The blonde firmly held Callie's hips as she rocked the two of them back and forth, creating as much friction as she could. Her mouth hovered by Callie's ear, and as she quickened her pace, she accompanied her actions with words of affirmation._

 _"I love you so fucking much, Calliope. I have never wanted or needed someone as much as you."_

 _She could already feel herself building up to an explosion, and those words from her love only helped push her over the edge. With a low moan, all of the muscles in Callie's body tensed up, only to relax along with her powerful and incredible release._

 _After a few moments of traveling back to earth, back to her own body, she finally felt as if she could speak again. "Oh God, Arizona," Callie breathed as she trembled, the blonde's warm body draped across hers. "That was sensational."_

 _Arizona stroked Callie's cheek before placing a long, drawn out kiss upon her lucious lips. "Holy shit, I'm amazed by you."_

 _Callie hooked her arms around Arizona, rolling them over and kissing her back. "And I, you." She sucked on Arizona's pulse point, her eyes already darkening again with lust. "Now, your turn."_

* * *

Callie was exhausted, but she couldn't head to bed just yet. Armed with a rather large glass of wine, she was determined to sift through all the miscellaneous things shoved in her closet to find the small shoebox that she had hung onto for years.

She was amazed at the amount of things that she had hung onto. Another day she would have to consider actually deep cleaning, but she was a woman on a mission, and she had no time to consider that. After a solid half an hour of rifling through her closet, right around the time she was starting to get discouraged, she unearthed the object of her desires.

From the outside, it didn't appear to be much. It was just an old shoebox with a few worn edges. But it had so much more inside.

Callie took a seat on her bed, cradling the box in her lap. She ran her fingertips across the lid, her heart beating rapidly already. She couldn't remember the last time that she had looked at the contents. Honestly, every time she did, she was so overcome with emotions that she typically drank an entire bottle of wine and cried herself to sleep. Those weren't her favorite nights.

The lid was mostly bare except for a single phrase. Written in ink, Callie had previously etched "Callie and Arizona Forever!!!" She remembered when she had decided to keep a box full of their memories. She also recalled the day she she almost threw everything away in a fit of rage mixed with depression. She was glad that she had restrained herself then and kept everything.

With a deep breath, she removed the lid, and slowly started to look through the mementoes that she had held onto.

There were a handful of movie stubs, as the two of them had loved to go see films at the dollar theater almost every Friday.

She found a small stuffed elephant that Arizona had won for her at a ring toss game at a carnival.

A small stack of photos of the two of them that Callie had hung up above her dorm room bed.

There were dozens of scraps of paper that held little notes from Arizona, usually passed to her during their Biology class.

A colorful bracelet that Arizona had woven out of yarn and tied to her wrist one night as they stargazed and promised to love each other forever.

Several smooth rocks that they had skipped across a secluded lake that they often went to to get away from the real world.

From the first Pride celebration Arizona had taken her to, she had kept a small rainbow pin that said "Love is Love."

And, beneath a few other knickknacks with their own significance, Callie found the item that meant more to her than anything else.

The velvet box fit in the palm of her hand, and she held her breath as she slowly lifted the lid. Carefully nestled inside, her silver heart pendant sat, still as stunning as the day she was given it. She still could perfectly picture that moment in her mind. Arizona and her had exchanged Christmas presents right before they parted for their separate vacations, only to discover that they had purchased the same necklace for one another. That would forever be one of her favorite memories.

Callie wondered if Arizona had kept her own necklace all these years. She desperately hoped that she had.

She lifted the necklace out of its little home, running the pad of her fingertip over the cool metal. Callie traced the heart multiple times before bringing it too her lips and gently kissing it.

God, she had loved that woman. And after all this time, despite all the resentment and hurt that still swirled around inside her, she was still hopelessly and overwhelmingly in love with Arizona Robbins.

Callie slipped the chain around her neck, slowly clasping it. The pendant hung against her chest, and it was comforting to feel its presence again. She vowed not to take it off until she had demolished the walls that she had built around her heart and let Arizona back in. She had fully believed that they were soulmates years ago, and if that was true, then they were destined to be together. That was a fight she was going to put her whole self into.

 **Thank you all for reading! I'm sorry this chapter took a bit longer to put up, but I'm hoping to pick up the pace now that things have calmed down a bit for me.**

 **I'm so grateful for the love, support, and feedback that I have gotten for this story. You all encourage me to write and make my days so much better.**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

Arizona had finally felt like she could breathe. The past few days of work had been busy and fulfilling, and it felt wonderful to fully invest herself in the healing of the tiny humans. Medicine took her mind off of Callie, which is what she needed right now.

She hadn't meant for the brunette to see her leg. Honestly, she didn't want anyone here to know about it. It's not like it made her any less of a person. She still could be an excellent doctor with a prosthetic, and she didn't think that it was anyone else's business whether or not her left leg was actually there. Her secrecy with her peers over the leg was one thing, though, and her reasons for keeping it from Callie was another entirely.

Her leg represented the darkest part of her life. The time that a terrible accident had taken so much from her that she truly didn't believe that she would survive. While she had learned to cope with this reality and function with it, it still reminded her of so many hardships and so much loss.

It had never been her intention to leave Callie. But, after waking up from a coma to find her brother dead and her leg amputated, she wanted to die. She was so broken, and she didn't want Callie to see that. She stayed away to spare her love from having to feel that pain with her. It may not have made a lot of sense, but when everything in her world fell apart, she wanted to protect her girlfriend. She was well aware that it had been a mistake to disappear, and she wished that she had handled that better, but she stuck to her choice. She had done what she thought was best, and she stood by it. She knew that it had caused a lot of hurt, but there was nothing to be done about that anymore.

It was clear that Callie had erected nearly impenetrable walls when it came to their relationship. That made sense, but she was still tired of reaching out and trying just to get shut down again and again. That was exhausting, and as much as she wanted to apologize and explain herself, that was no longer a battle that she could fight. Arizona decided to just let it be, and keep her distance from Callie. They had once had something special between them, but it was obvious that too much had happened for them to go back to what they were.

Luckily, their paths hadn't crossed for a few days, and Arizona got used to being in the same place as Callie without engaging with her. She had been worried that everyone was going to take the other woman's side, but her anxiety over that had quickly been eased. Dr. Karev had apologized to her and asked to work with her, and it was easy to guess that his actions had been influenced by Callie. She appreciated that, and now that she didn't feel at war, she could properly focus on building a life and career here.

She had two surgeries scheduled for today, and one lab to teach. It was a full but easy day, and she looked forward to it. After work she was going out to dinner with Addison and Teddy, the three of them quickly becoming fast friends. It promised to be a good day, and she didn't think that anything would throw her off.

Arizona made her way to what was quickly becoming her favorite coffee cart in the hospital. She itched to get her hands on some caffeine before her first procedure, and she walked with a slight skip in her step.

A few other doctors were in line, and she idly scrolled through things on her phone as she waited, not really aware of her surroundings. Once her turn came up, she pocketed her phone and cleared her throat, ready to order, when the barista spoke before her.

"Dr. Robbins? I've got your coffee right here. White chocolate mocha with a shot of caramel and extra whipped cream."

She was a little thrown off and flustered. "Okay...how much do I owe you?"

"It's all been taken care of, ma'am."

"By who?"

He pointed to a woman that was crossing the hallway, a woman that she could instantly recognize, even from behind.

A woman who still remembered her favorite coffee order.

She thanked the barista and took her coffee, hurrying off. "Callie!" she called, getting the brunette to stop in her tracks and wait for her to catch up. Arizona held up her cup while she raised her eyebrow. "What's this about?"

"I saw you in line, even though you didn't notice me. That's still your order, right?" Arizona slowly nodded. "Well, at least that's stayed the same."

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle under her breath. "I like what I like." She nibbled on her lower lip, something she only really did when she was nervous. "Thank you, Callie. I appreciate it."

Callie took a sip from her own cup. Arizona would bet anything that it was a mocha iced coffee with cream and vanilla.

"You're welcome. And if you want to buy me one someday, I won't say no." Callie grinned at her, showing of the magnificent megawatt smile that the blonde had always adored.

Arizona hoped that this was some sort of truce, but she didn't want to read into it too much. She didn't know where Callie was at, and she was figuring out her own feelings every moment she was here. But, none of that could stop the butterflies that instantly fluttered in her stomach.

Just as Arizona was about to respond, a glint of silver caught her eye. She had to do a double take, as she could hardly believe what she saw. There, hanging around a perfect caramel neck, was the necklace she had given Callie thirteen years ago.

"You're wearing it," she stated, her voice full of disbelief.

Callie's fingers daintily brushed the heart she was wearing. "Yeah. Honestly, I shouldn't have ever taken it off." She checked her watch with a sigh. "I better get going, I have surgery. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the coffee. This is the best cart by a long shot." She lifted her cup in little toast. "Have a good one, Arizona. I'll see you around."

She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving a stunned Arizona dumbstruck in the middle of the hallway.

What the actual hell had just happened?

* * *

 _Arizona had hardly slept a wink the night before. Between anxiety over her first day of college and endless thoughts of a magical kiss shared with the most beautiful woman she had ever met, it was next to impossible to turn her brain off._

 _She sat in the second row of a large lecture hall, ready for her second class of the day. She had just finished up her English class, and now she was preparing for Biology. This is what she was excited about, as science was her favorite subject, and this was her first Pre-Med period. She wanted to be a doctor, a surgeon specifically, and this was the first step in that direction._

 _She opened her notebook to a clean page, and she lined her pens up on her desk. It was no secret that she totally looked like a nerd, but she had no care about that. School was exciting, and she wanted to be here._

 _The only negative about today was that she hadn't seen Callie again. She had hoped to run into the brunette this morning, but there was no sign of her. Arizona knew that she needed to be patient, but that didn't mean that it was easy._

 _Other students were filing into the lecture hall, and Arizona's eyes scanned her classmates, simply out of pure curiousity._

 _There was a flash of dark hair, hair that Arizona's fingers had tangled in just last night. Hair that had been silky and soft, textures that she could still feel on her hands if she closed her eyes and concentrated. She'd recognize that woman anywhere._

 _From the first moment she had laid eyes on Calliope, a spark was ignited within her that couldn't be extinguished. She felt excitement and passion that she didn't even know existed. The most stunning and beautiful person in the world had entered her life, and though she appeared calm on the outside, inside she was flustered and overwhelmed. But, it hadn't just been the brunette's beauty that had struck her. When she gazed into those entoxicating chocolate orbs, she felt like she had seen into Callie's very soul, and that had captured her more than anything. She needed this person to be in her life, and the night they spent together only confirmed that. And their kiss...well, that had been the most incredible thing that she had ever experienced._

 _Callie took a seat in the front row, and Arizona immediately ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook and balled it up. With incredible precision, since her brother and father had taught her how to play baseball from when she was a little kid, she threw the ball of paper at the brunette, lightly hitting her in the shoulder._

 _When Callie whipped around, she had a fire in her eyes, but her gaze immediately softened when she saw Arizona. The blonde winked and then pointed to the open seat next to her, a clear invitation._

 _"Hey," Callie said as she slipped into the seat and began setting up her things. "I knew we were both Pre-Med, but I didn't think we'd have a class together."_

 _"Well I guess we have study buddies already determined," Arizona told her, giving her a small smirk._

 _The professor had arrived, and she began introductions before Callie could say anything. The two of them both pretended to focus on the board and their first lecture, but it was blatantly obvious that they each were far too wrapped up in each other._

 _Subtle forms of communication connected them. Arizona touched her knee to Callie's, creating that electricity that had been formed last night. Callie brushed her hand against Arizona's as she took notes, their fingers lightly caressing momentarily. God, the chemistry between them was incredibly. Arizona thought her heart was going to explode just from being around this woman._

 _As their lecture came to a close, Arizona pulled Callie's notebook to her. She scribbled across the top of the open page, leaving a single question behind._

 _"Coffee??"_

 _Callie's face immediately lit up, and she leaned towards the blonde. "Absolutely," she whispered, sending limitless tingles down Arizona's spine._

 _Once their class finally concluded, they packed up their bags and made their way to a small coffee shop on campus. They talked freely as they walked, but Arizona's mind kept dwelling on the fact that her hand was barely an inch from the Latina's, and she desperately wished to weave their fingers together._

 _They each ordered, Arizona's treat, and decided to take their drinks outside. They found a peaceful little corner of grass near a flower bed, and they got comfortable, sitting with their knees touching._

 _Arizona wanted to know everything about Callie, and part of her wanted to sit here for hours just talking. But, she had to take things slow, as much as she wanted to dive right in._

 _When they had gone out as a group, Arizona had collected bits and pieces of information about Callie, but not enough to paint a whole picture. Ever since she saw the brunette, though, she was fully mesmerized by her, and wished above all else to be the person that knew her better than anyone._

 _Maybe she was crazy, but she didn't really care._

 _"So, Calliope, tell me about your family. Where you're from, how you grew up, everything."_

 _"Eager, are we?" Callie inquired with a wink as she sipped her drink. "Well, where to start? Um...I was born and raised in Miami. My parents are still there. My older sister Aria is currently in New York studying law, she wants to be a lawyer just like Mom. And Daddy is a business man, he started a company when he was in college and still works there. I'm closest to Daddy now. He was gone a lot when we were kids, but we've always been close. He's one of my favorite people." She stopped to take a long drink before gesturing towards Arizona. "Alright, your turn."_

 _"Okay, okay." Arizona rested her chin on her knees while her arms held her legs together. "Dad, or 'The Colonel' as he prefers to be called, has been in the Army my whole life. So I'm pretty much your typical Army brat. Moved around a lot, learned how to throw a punch, that sort of thing. My mom stayed home with us, and she's like the greatest person in the world. Woman wouldn't hurt a fly. And Timmy, that's my older brother, is practically my twin. We look pretty much identical. And, since we moved around a lot, we really became close. He's my absolute best friend. He enlisted in the Army straight out of high school, though, so I don't see him much anymore. He's deployed in the Middle East right now, and I miss him like crazy."_

 _"When did you see him last?"_

 _Arizona counted on her fingers for a moment before sighing. "Like almost seven months. God, that's so long."_

 _Callie leaned closer to the blonde and gently squeezed her arm. "I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine what that's like."_

 _"It was the norm growing up, and it's the reality now. I write him letters every week."_

 _The brunette smirked. "Will this week's include something about me?"_

 _She was quiet for a moment as she held the dark gaze of the other woman. "Absolutely," she murmured, feeling a shift in their conversation. Arizona leaned closer, only to hear a sharp intake of breath. "Is it alright if I kiss you, Calliope?"_

 _Callie's eyes darted around momentarily as if she was trying to see if people were nearby. To be fair, last night they had been alone, and sometimes it was scary to be out in the open like they were._

 _She gave a small nod before meeting Arizona halfway. It was a soft and sweet kiss, not nearly as intense as the one they had shared the night before. However, the passion and intimacy was still there, and Arizona's heart thundered as her lips lightly caressed the Latina's._

 _It was Callie who parted first, but her face lingered close, her breath dancing across Arizona's skin, causing goosebumps to rise. "I can't stop thinking about you."_

 _"And I, you."_

 _"Is that crazy?"_

 _"If it is, then I have no interest in being sane." Arizona slipped her palm into Callie's, loving how their hands fit together like puzzle pieces. She ran her thumb along the back of Callie's hand, enjoying the simplicity of the moment they were sharing._

 _"How did you know that you liked girls?"_

 _Blue eyes flicked up, only to see a timidness and nervousness in the brunette that she hadn't been exposed to yet. It had only been a day, true, but she already knew that the woman in front of her was strong and confident._

 _Arizona paused, making sure to lightly squeeze the hand she was holding. "I guess I always knew. I didn't have any defining moment. It's just who I am, and when I got older, I never questioned those feelings. Sure, I wondered how my parents would take it, but everything worked out. I think they must have known all along as well."_

 _"That must be nice, knowing exactly who you are and never wondering if it's right or wrong."_

 _"When did you know?" she asked._

 _Callie looked up at the sky and lightly chuckled. "Honestly..." she shifted her gaze so that she was intensely staring at Arizona, "I had always considered the possibility, but it was confirmed for me the second that I met you. I just...well...I haven't felt like this about anyone before."_

 _Arizona gently placed her hand against a caramel cheek. "I haven't felt this way before either."_

 _They grinned at each other, the knowledge of something special beginning between them courseing through their minds and their hearts._

* * *

Arizona stormed through the hospital towards the exit. Her mind had been racing all day, and she couldn't shut it off. She had successfully gone through her work day, but every free second she spent deliberating about Callie. She had thought about her since her arrival in Seattle, but now, she was convinced that she was going mad. Between coffee and that goddamn necklace, Callie had completely thrown her off, and she needed answers.

Luckily, after consulting Addison and Teddy, she had acquired Callie's address. Her friends hadn't been the most supportive of a spontaneous confrontation, but her mind was made up. She was determined to go over there now and sort things out. It might be completely out of line, but she no longer cared. She was done playing games and tiptoeing around the brunette. They were either going to be a part of each other's lives or not, and Arizona wanted answers now. All of her patience had been used up.

It was a downpour when she walked outside, and she hugged her jacket close around her as she bolted across the street. The water chilled her to the bone, but she was fueled by her commitment to seeing this through.

She quickly found herself standing before apartment 502, her head held high and a fire in her eyes. Arizona raised her fist and brought it against the door multiple times. She heard her knock echoing through the apartment, and her breath caught in her throat. It was possible that she hadn't completely thought this through, but it was too late to turn back now.

The door opened to reveal Callie. She had a smile across her face, but once she saw her unsuspected guest, her features morphed into an expression of confusion.

"Arizona? What is this about?"

She crossed her arms. "It's time for us to talk, Callie. No more games. I'm not interested in going back and forth with you, so we are figuring this out between us. Whether that means we are both okay or we are walking away, I don't care. But this is getting resolved. Tonight."

Her speech hung in the air between them as Callie appeared to consider her words. After a moment, the brunette stepped to the side, holding the door open. "Well then, stop standing there, and come on in."

Arizona stepped forward, not sure what was going to happen, but ready for whatever was to come.

 **Things are starting to pick up! I know this was a bit of a filler chapter, but the next one is big, so stay tuned! I'm hard at work with my writing, so I'm hoping to get you guys updates at least once a week, if not more. I have a lot planned, and I hope that you all are excited to see where this story goes.**

 **Thank you for reading! It means the world to me. I appreciate every review, follow, and favorite. Please leave me feedback, as it not only helps me develop this story, it motivates me to write!**

 **Thanks again for being the best readers out there!**


	7. Chapter 7

Seeing Arizona show up at her door wasn't how Callie pictured the night going, but she had always been good at improvising, so she was rolling with it. Besides, buying the blonde coffee and wearing her necklace had been playing with fire, and this was definitely a possibility.

Her heart was pounding, and she could hear the drumbeat of it ringing in her ears. Arizona moved past her, and Callie quietly shut the door behind her. A small puddle had formed on the floor, and the other woman was slightly shivering.

Callie slipped into her room and returned a moment later with a towel, extending it forward. "You know, umbrellas do exist."

Arizona grasped the fabric, her fingers brushing against Callie's. There was the slightest bit of electricity that shivered down her nerves, and the tingle remained as the blonde started drying her hair. "I didn't quite think that crossing the street would result in getting this soaked."

"That's Seattle for you."

"I guess that I'm still adjusting." Silence fell between them, but a heaviness hung in the air. Both of them knew what conversation was about to happen, but neither were quite prepared. "Can I sit down?" she asked as she shrugged her coat off.

Callie nodded, and in perfect synchronization, they sunk down in opposite chairs. She was definitely nervous, even though a conversation like this was exactly what she wanted. Still, it wasn't every day that she talked to her long lost love about how everything went wrong between them when it should have been nothing but right.

She anxiously drummed her fingers on her knee as she stared at the blue gaze that was now locked with hers. Arizona's eyes were intense and full of infinite depth, but they also held a certain insecurity that told Callie that the woman before her was just as timid about this moment as she was.

"Where would you like to start?"

Arizona sighed before rubbing her brow. "Honestly...I had this entire speech prepared for you and all the confidence in the world...but now that I'm here, I don't want to say any of it."

Callie tilted her head to the side. "Then what do you want to say, Arizona?"

She took a deep breath, and her intense blue eyes brightened. "Before we figure out where we stand or anything like that, I just feel the need to tell you that I have fucking missed you so much."

Hearing those words stirred feelings within Callie that she had long abandoned. She had always hoped and prayed that her love was somewhere in the world trying to come back to her. She had missed Arizona with her whole heart and soul, and hearing that reciprocated was everything she hadn't known she had wanted.

"I've missed you too. More than I thought was physically possible."

Arizona slowly exhaled as she shook her head. "It was never my intention to leave you. If things had gone right, then we would still be together." Callie gave the smallest of smiles. She couldn't agree with that more. If things had gone according to plan, they wouldn't have spent a second of their lives apart. But...clearly none of those dreams had come true.

"So," she started, her voice cautious as she leaned forward, "tell me what went wrong."

The blonde woman wrung her hands together, her gaze unconsciously flicking towards her leg, unmissed by Callie. Since she had seen the prosthetic, she had constantly wondered what exactly had happened to make Arizona an amputee. And, she guessed that it played a significant in their separation as young adults.

Arizona was silent for an extended moment. Callie didn't push her to talk, and she simply trusted that the tale would begin whenever she was ready. This was nowhere near an easy conversation, and one that they had anxiously been building up to, so there was no rush. She would stay up all night listening to the blonde talk if that is what it took.

"We were in an accident," she began. She rubbed her upper left thigh with her knuckles, and Callie guessed that she was attempting to ground herself. "Tim picked me up from the airport that day. The day we both left for our Christmas vacations. We were just talking and driving home, and out of nowhere, we were hit by a drunk driver. I blacked out pretty fast, so I don't remember anything, which I'm grateful for. But...my parents told me that our car flipped four times and we landed in a ditch upside down. That's how they found us."

Callie felt herself holding her breath, barely able to picture this crash in her mind. She didn't even want to think about Arizona going through something like this. She didn't want to interrupt, but she had to ask, even if she couldn't properly formulate the words. "Is that how...your leg...?" Callie inquired, not quite wanting to say it out loud.

Arizona gave a short nod as her palm laid flat against her thigh. "Apparently it was crushed pretty bad by the dashboard. They tried to repair it, but something went wrong in surgery, and they had to take it. When I finally did wake up, it was gone, and I had no choice about it. I never would have opted for amputation if they had asked me."

"I've seen injuries like that. They are brutal. And even if you had kept it, your leg would have never been the same. I'm so sorry for that. But, if it was your leg versus your life, I would have made the same choice."

"I've adjusted to it now. But, God, I was so angry. I mean, I didn't feel like a complete person. And I felt like I had no say in whether or not I kept my leg, even though I'm the one that has to live with it. I'm the one who's life completely changed with one cut of a scalpel." Arizona locked her jaw, and Callie could see a glimmer of anger cross her face. This made her mad, as it should, but Callie couldn't help but think that this wasn't the only reason that the blonde disappeared.

"It was more than just your leg, wasn't it?" she quietly suggested, prompting Arizona to open up further.

Cerulean eyes instantly filled with moisture, and a single tear rolled down a pale cheek. "Timmy died. He held on for a few days, but he didn't make it. I woke up after the accident without my brother or my leg and those losses are enough to fucking break a person." Arizona started wiping at her face, as the tears were steadily rolling. "God, why am I even crying? I got over all of this."

"I don't think that's something that anyone expects you to fully get over." Callie's voice shook as she spoke, as her heart hurt for Arizona. She could feel her pain and misery, and she wished that the blonde had never had to feel those tremendous hardships.

"I just...losing Tim was so hard. Like, he was in the military so it was always something that I was prepared for, but I never expected that he'd be taken away by someone who chose to get behind the wheel even when they were wasted. I have so much I still want to say to him and to experience with him, and I feel so robbed. He was taken from me and it was so unfair." Arizona's lip quivered as she ran her fingers through her damp hair. She slowly played with a strand, something she had always done when she was anxious or upset.

"I'm so sorry, Arizona," Callie told her. "I wish I could say more than that. I wish I could take that pain away."

Arizona's gaze met hers. "For years I wished that it would all go away. Those were some of the darkest times I've ever experienced. But, despite all of that...it's made me who I am. And I might as well embrace that."

They were each quiet, and the silence draped over them like a tablecloth. Callie had a lot on her mind, and she guessed that Arizona felt the same. While this conversation was enlightening, Callie still had so many questions. Mainly, even though Arizona was experiencing gruesome trials, why hadn't she reached out? Why hadn't she said something, anything?

Callie took a deep breath, gathering her courage. "Arizona...I can't imagine the heartbreak that you went through. But, I do have to ask you one thing, one thing that I sill don't fully understand."

"Ask away."

"Why did you tell me that you loved me only to completely disappear?"

Arizona pinched her brow and sighed. "I never meant to hurt you. I know that I did, and I am unbelievably sorry about that. Back then, when everything was crumbling around me, I was trying to spare you from sharing in my misery. I wanted to protect you."

"Protect me from what?" Callie questioned.

There was a notable pause. "Me. I wanted to protect you from me."

Callie hung on Arizona's words, slowly processing them. As she did, she felt anger bubble up inside of her. She didn't need protection. She could make her own choices about how she wanted to live her life, and what she submitted herself to. She would have gladly held Arizona's hand through it all, because she loved her that much. Saything they were soulmates meant that she was fully committed through the good and the bad. And, while she could understand where Arizona was coming from, she wished that the blonde had trusted and loved her enough to not push her away when things broke to pieces.

"I want you, Arizona. All of you. I don't need to be protected from you, and I never have. I wish you would have let me in instead of pushing me away," she told her, her words full of emotion.

"I pushed you away because I didn't want you to see me suffering like that."

Callie crossed her arms. "Being in love means that you see someone throughout their highs and their lows."

"It also means doing whatever you can to keep them from getting hurt," Arizona retorted.

"Not if that means pushing them away entirely."

"I was dying inside, Callie, and I didn't want you to see that. I will not apologize for that," she shot back.

"I could have helped you, Arizona!"

She rose to her feet with clenched fists. "Don't you think I know that, Calliope? Don't you think I wanted you there for me? I wanted to die, and I didn't want you to feel that. I tried to kill myself, and I didn't want you to see that!"

The blonde's stance was strong, but at the same time, Callie saw something crumble. It was as if all of Arizona's walls had disinigrated, leaving a woman who wanted to share every part of her soul. There was a shift in the air, and Callie was certain that Arizona was about to reveal her deepest and darkest depths.

Callie fell silent, her eyes wide. She was shaken to her core at the thought that Arizona almost wasn't standing before her now. "No," she murmured, barely able to comprehend this information.

Arizona relaxed and dropped her chin, her eyes staring at the ground. "After Tim died and I lost my leg, I hurt more than I could bear. I cried and screamed and tried everything I could to feel anything except that agony. Nothing worked, and I didn't think I could stop it. So, I decided to end things. I decided to take my life into my own hands and cease that suffering."

"Stop it," Callie told her with a shake of her head. "Don't tell me any more."

She continued. "As soon as my parents took me home, I raided all the medicine cabinets. They gave me hard stuff for my leg, so I had what I needed. I took everything without any hesitation."

"Arizona, stop."

"My mother found me, lying there on my bedroom floor, surrounded by pills and holding my note. She called an ambulance, but my dad had to do CPR for three minutes until I started coming back. They thought I was dead, and I almost was. I wished they hadn't found me in time."

Callie's hands covered her ears, and she squeezed her eyes shut as if to block out everything that was being said. "Please, stop!"

"I almost died, Calliope. Do you really wish that you had been there to see that? Do you think that that would have been better than me just disappearing?"

"Shut up!" Callie yelled as she flew to her feet. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"You may not agree with the choice I made, but I can't change a thing. And I wouldn't. I still believe that I protected you, and I will stand by that, dammit."

Her voice shook. "It is not your place to decide what I can or cannot handle and deal with. I chose you, and you never gave me a chance to prove that. It would have been miserable, but I would have been there for you. I would have held your hand and told you I loved you and done whatever you needed. You just decided that we were over, and you gave me no fucking say." She could feel anger and hurt racing through her veins, about to explode. "You said that you were devastated about your leg. You said that you were so hurt that you had no choice about them taking it. I'm sorry for that, and I wish you could have used your voice. But, you know what? I know exactly how you felt. Because while you were laying in a hospital bed agonizing over why you weren't allowed to decide if they cut your leg off, I was home, sobbing into my pillow, not given the choice over whether or not you were cutting me out of your life."

Callie inched forward, their faces closer than they had been in thirteen years. Tension hung between them as they each vented about the frustrations that they had kept bottled inside. Rage flickered in each of their orbs, but that fire also contained passion, dedication, hurt, confusion, and so much love.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I truly am. But what's done is done."

"No, it's not. Because you still didn't come back. Once you healed, you still didn't come back. Why not?"

Arizona looked up at the ceiling. "Because...I was terrified. I knew that I had ruined things between us, and I was afraid of that. I was scared that we were over for good, and it was almost easier not knowing than to be crushed."

Callie could feel goosebumps rise across her skin and the tips of her fingers tingled. She felt like they were magnets being pulled towards one another uncontrollably. Arguing had only just ignited something within each of them, and it showed how much both woman still cared for each other. With every second, Callie felt more and more certain that her very soul was screaming to be with Arizona, and she no longer wished to resist that urge.

"We aren't over. I don't think that we ever were, and I don't believe that we ever will be." Once her words slipped past her lips, Callie closed the distance between them, both physically and emotionally.

Her hands cupped Arizona's cheeks, pulling her closer so their lips could mold together. The kiss was stiff at first, as each of them felt the thirteen years that had passed between them. But, after a moment, they each gave a sigh of relief, as if their bodies were remembering one another. It felt like coming home.

Callie dove in, tasting the woman that she had always loved. There was something new, but her sweetness was exactly the same. God, she had missed this.

Arizona's fingers roughly grasped Callie's shirt, yanking hard so their torsos were glued together. Callie cupped the back of a golden head, locking it in place as she poured every emotion she felt into kissing the woman she knew was her soulmate. There was a certain familiarity as their lips connected, as if they had been transported back to the very first time they had kissed. But, there was so many new sensations, and it revealed a longing and eagerness to be together. This moment was secretly what they each had been aching for since the moment they had seen each other in the bar bathroom.

They separated, and Callie nuzzled their noses together before her eyes flicked open. Chocolate orbs locked with cereulean, and the two women held their gaze with one another. Callie could have stared at Arizona forever.

Hands dropped from her waist, and Callie feared that the moment they had shared would cease, and reality would come rushing back. Instead, pale palms slithered up her body until Arizona's thumb started to stroke Callie's cheek, wiping away tears that she hadn't even realized were starting to fall.

"Don't cry, Calliope" the blonde murmured, her breath tickling against Callie's already plump and swollen lips.

"I love you so much. And I've never stopped. I don't think I could ever stop loving you, Arizona." Her voice cracked, and she leaned forward until their foreheads touched. She felt so much intimacy between them, and she had been craving this for thirteen years. "I'm so sorry I pushed you away. I should have given you a chance."

"Shhh," Arizona breathed, "don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"No, let me say it. Please." Callie took a deep breath, her hands caressing the porcelain skin she adored. "Before I met you, I was drowning. And every moment with you felt like coming up for fresh air. It was addicting. And I've missed it so much." Arizona's eyes fell, but Callie tilted her chin up so she was looking at her once more. "Having you back has brought up so many feelings, and it was easier to be angry than heartbroken. But, I felt alive when you came back, and that was terrifying. I think I've just been scared to really breathe again. But I would always choose that instead of drowning without you."

Arizona's fingers slipped through Callie's hair, holding her close. Their lips were barely a centimeter apart, and yet, that was too much space for the brunette. Before she even had a chance to close the gap between them, Arizona plunged forward, cementing their lips together in another charged and passionate kiss.

"If you give me the chance, I'll never let you drown again." Arizona whispered into their kiss. "You were my first love, Calliope, and throughout my whole life, there's never been anyone else that I have wanted or needed. Only you, Calliope." She kissed her hard and intensely. "It's always been only you."

Callie deepened their kiss, drawing a pale pink lip between her teeth. She sucked on it hard, reminding herself of the time when they used to sloppily and greedily makeout in their dorm rooms. They had been young and wild, but Callie knew that those people existed within them somewhere.

It was Arizona who reciprocated by pushing Callie back until they sank into the couch in a perfectly choreographed move. Their hands freely roamed, exploring bodies that they had once fully memorized, now just to find new and changed aspects. Arizona's weight on her was familiar and comforting, and Callie let out a low and content moan. One of her hands twisted into golden curls, hair still damp from the rain, while the other traveled down Arizona's spine and towards her thigh. She was so wrapped up in the moment that she barely registered that the flesh beneath her fingers turned to a hard plastic.

Arizona froze, and her hand shot out to clasp Callie's wrist. Her whole body went tense with a sharp intake of air.

Callie instantly recognized her mistake, and she pulled away from their kiss. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking, and I shouldn't have touched it."

The blonde released her grip, only to slip her hand into the Latina's. "It's okay. It's just...I don't like people to touch it or to see it. It's just proof that I'm broken, and I hate that."

"I once loved every inch of you. And I would like the opportunity to relearn the body of the woman I love. Scars and all," she stated. She leaned up and slowly kissed Arizona. "And, you are so, so far from broken. You are extraordinary."

They were drawn back together, mouths colliding over and over as a way to express the eagerness they held for one another. Now that they were reunited, and clearly still fully in love with one another, it was as if they couldn't spend a single second without expressing the million emotions coursing through their bodies.

Thirteen years was far too long to be apart. But, it was like that no longer mattered as much. Here and now they were together, and it truly made Callie's heart soar.

She was so caught up in Arizona that she didn't register the sound of her front door opening. She certainly did hear the exclamation that almost immediately followed.

"Holy shit!"

Her and Arizona quickly shot up and fumbled out of their compromising position, only to see Meredith and Cristina standing before them with gaping expressions.

Before Callie had a chance to explain anything, Cristina turned to Meredith. "You owe me twenty bucks!"

 **I've been building up to this chapter for a while, and I hope it didn't disappoint! Don't worry, I still have much more planned for these two. This is just the beginning.**

 **Thank you so much for reading! I'm amazed every day by the response to this story. I've been reminded of my love and passion for writing fanfiction, and that is the best gift I could have asked for. I hope you all will continue on this journey with me!**

 **Please let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't funny. Getting walked in on during the midst of a fairly passionate makeout session was not her ideal way to spend her night. But, for some reason, she found it completely hilarious, and containing her laughter was next to impossible.

"How many times have I told you guys to STOP. BETTING. ON. MY. LOVE. LIFE!" Callie yelled at Meredith and Cristina. She had flown to her feet, and the firy Latina was pacing as one of her index fingers jabbed towards the two women, punctuating each word she spoke.

"We can't help it. You have the most interesting love life and Vegas is too far away," Meredith threw over her shoulder as she rifled in the cupboards for wine glasses.

Callie scowled and crossed her arms, a pout forming on her face. Arizona thought it was adorable. "Bet on literally anything else, for the love of God!"

"No thanks," Cristina told her as she popped the cork on a wine bottle. "Besides, you're too predictable. We all knew after you ranted about Blondie over there for like four hours the night you saw her again that you weren't going to stay mad. There was way too much sexual energy pent up for you two not to suck face. It was just a matter of 'when', honestly."

"You're mad because you know she's right," Meredith stated with a pointed glance at Callie.

"Can I just ask one thing?" All eyes turned to Arizona, as it was the first time she had spoken since the other two women had interrupted her...activities...with Callie. "How long were you guys betting that we would last before hooking up?"

Meredith sighed. "I thought that you guys were going to make it two weeks. Alex guessed you would last only two days. Cristina knows Callie best though, and she hit the nail on the head with her one week bet."

Arizona nodded. "So...basically you all were convinced that we wouldn't be able to keep it in our pants whatsoever?"

"Pretty much!" Cristina explained as she poured not two, but four glasses of wine. "I like her, Callie. You're keeping this one."

Callie sat down next to Arizona in a huff, and the blonde squeezed her knee and gave her a warm smile before turning towards the other two. "Does that mean that I no longer need to be called 'McBitchy' by you all?" She nearly burst into a fit of giggles at the flabbergasted expressions and pale faces of the other three women in the room. "Alex doesn't often check his surroundings when he's running his mouth. I'm not mad, I actually am honored that I already have a nickname."

"For the record, 'McBlondie' was a close second," Cristina quietly replied as she distributed wine amongst everyone in the room.

"Well, let's stick with that one."

Arizona gave a smirk to Callie, who was beet red. "I'm so sorry," she murmured. "I can never apologize enough for the behavior of my friends."

She took a long drink, loving the warm buzz the alcohol automatically gave her. Her eyes remained trained on Callie, who looked thoroughly and utterly embarrassed. To be fair, they had been interrupted while their tongues were deep within each other's mouths. In fact, as her eyes wandered, she noticed the three buttons on Callie's shirt that hung open.

Her fingers extended, and she subtly did the buttons, the pads of her fingers slightly brushing Callie's breast. The brunette shivered at the contact, and Arizona winked in response. "Wouldn't want them to think we are too indecent, would we?" she whispered, noting the instant blush that spread across Callie's cheeks.

"So," Meredith began as she took a seat across from Arizona and Callie, "Cristina and I were just going to get a little tipsy and watch trashy television, but this is much more exciting."

"A real life soap opera, honestly."

"Tell us everything. Don't leave any details out," Meredith pointedly told them.

Callie rolled her eyes. "Aren't either of you going to apologize for your, ugh, interruption?"

Cristina shrugged. "It's not our fault that you guys couldn't make it to your room. And I never made you apologize for walking in on Owen and me that one time we were-"

"-okay, no one wants to relive that, especially not me," Callie interrupted as she held her hand up. "Point made. But, as much as I know Arizona and I would love to stay here with the nosiest people on the planet, I think we are going to take off."

Callie instantly slipped her hand in Arizona's, pulling her to her feet. She couldn't blame Callie for wanting to slip away and get some privacy, but she was a little disappointed. She wanted to see all of Callie's life, and that included getting to know her friends. Plus, she hadn't finished her wine yet.

Arizona still followed as Callie passed her her coat and moved to the door. Once they both were bundled to face the downpour outside, Callie moved to leave, but Arizona stopped and turned back to Meredith and Cristina. "Don't worry. Once she's done being embarrassed I'll be back."

Both of the other women laughed as Callie lightly smacked Arizona's shoulder, earning a chuckle from the blonde. "You're the worst."

"Perhaps." Arizona connected their hands once more, and she let Callie lead her into the hallway.

They were quiet as they walked towards the elevator, and the silence hung around them on the ride down. It wasn't uncomfortable, though. Now there was a charged energy between them, and even though everything had gotten out into the open, they still had to decide where they went from here.

The rain had let up just a bit when they went outside, but it was still unrelenting and heavy. Callie led them towards a bench under an awning next to the entrance of her apartment, and the two of them took a seat and got comfortable. Arizona wasn't sure where she wanted to start, so she figured that she would let Callie lead with this one.

And after a moment, she did.

"I'm sorry I kind of rushed us out of there. They just threw me off and I wasn't in the mood for their millions of questions."

"It's alright. But, for future reference, I want to be around them. If your friends are important to you, then they matter to me too," Arizona told her as she held her eyes.

Their gazes were locked for a moment as a small smile spread across each of their faces. "Is this completely crazy?" Callie asked under her breath.

"Well," Arizona said, thinking back to a memory from long ago, "if it is, then I have no interest in being sane."

Callie's eyes welled up, but before a single tear fell, she grasped Arizona's face and pulled them together. Arizona instantly melted, her instincts taking over. Even though they clearly had more to talk about and things were far from settled, all she wanted to do right now was kiss Callie. And so she did.

Kissing Callie now was different than upstairs. Before, the intensity of a thirteen year separation had charged their actions, creating an urgent and passionate display of the affection that still lingered. Here, under the awning with the rain surrounding them, this kiss was slow, deep, and incredibly intimate. This was a profession to one another. A commitment that things between them had started once more, and no matter what happened next, they wanted and needed one another.

The brunette parted first, her lips lingering just a hairs width away. Arizona could feel the swirl of air brushing her cheeks as they stared at one another.

"Callie, I need to ask you something. Something that's been on my mind tonight."

"Anything. I'm an open book."

Arizona slowly exhaled. "I take full accountability for leaving. I do. I know my mistakes and I will forever be trying to make up for them. But...I have to ask. Why did you never come looking for me?"

Callie let her eyes fall as she ran her hands down her face. "I...just...after you left, I was so heartbroken in so many ways. I was crushed and I didn't know what to do with myself. I was lost, Arizona. And...I think that I just didn't know how to find myself again."

"What do you mean by that?" Arizona asked, her heart breaking. She knew that she had hurt Callie, but it still pained her to see that evident in front of her.

"I thought, no, knew we had something special. I was convinced that we had created something magical. And then it all vanished into thin air. The life I had was gone and I truly didn't know what to do. And, to be honest, I was a coward. I was afraid of fighting because I didn't want to lose. I didn't come looking for you because I didn't want to lose you again. So, I didn't try. I gave up and I know that I shouldn't have. But I did, and I hate that about myself."

Arizona reaches forward and tucked an ebony lock behind Callie's ear. Her fingertip slowly traced her jawline before she tilted the woman's face up so they could fully see one another. "Oh, Calliope. Please don't say that about yourself."

"It's true. I am so angry at myself for giving up."

"You need to forgive yourself. I need to forgive myself. We both made mistakes, and we both gave up. But, we have the chance to try again, and I think that counts more than anything."

Callie gave Arizona a small smile. "So, if we are going to forgive ourselves and try again, where do we go from here?"

Arizona licked her lips, leaning back as she scooted closer to Callie. Their thighs pressed together, and Arizona gently interlocked their fingers. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. She had to fully express everything in her heart to the woman in front of her. The woman she loved.

"Well, we can't just pick up where we left off."

Callie nodded. "I agree. We are different people than we were back then. We've grown and evolved and aren't in the same place as we were back then."

She gave Callie's hands a light squeeze. "We both have changed so much. We've had trials and triumphs, and I want to know all of those things. I want to get to fully meet you again and know you better than anyone else. I want to feel as connected as we did when we were young. I believe that we can get to this place again, together. But, we need a new foundation. I don't want to rely on our past. I want to build something new and better."

"I want a life with you, Arizona. I always have. Others have come and gone, and no one has made me feel like you do. Shit, I've felt more connection with you tonight than I have with anyone else I have ever met," Callie said, her megawatt smile as bright and as beautiful as ever.

"I'm not interested in anyone but you, Calliope," Arizona told her as she brought their joined hands to her chest, resting them over her beating heart. "I don't want anyone else. If you'll let me, I want to keep the promise I made to you years ago. I'll love you every second of every day for the rest of my life."

"Then let's start over. We can't pick up where we left off, but that foundation is still there. Let's create something new together. Something magical and wonderful and everything we've ever wanted," Callie declared, her eyes full of promise and commitment.

Arizona felt moisture collect in her orbs. Her heart was so full that she thought it would burst. "I know that it'll be work."

"It'll be hard."

"There's going to be good days and bad days."

"We are going to struggle and succeed."

"But," Arizona whispered as she leaned her forehead against Callie's, "it'll be so fucking worth it."

Callie slipped her hands away so she could wipe away the lone tear that rolled down Arizona's cheek. "More than anything."

Arizona closed the distance between them, capturing ruby lips with her own. She poured herself into the action. She told Callie that she was here, and that she was going to stay. With her kiss, she promised her love that nothing would tear them apart again.

Dropping her guard hadn't been easy. Breaking her walls down for Callie had been grueling and painful, but it needed to happen. Her soul ached for that woman more than anything in the world, and that's what she had needed to do. There was still so much work and effort in the road ahead of her, but she was willing to do it. By some miracle, Callie felt the same, and Arizona had another chance to be with the love of her life. She now possessed the opportunity to right all the wrongs of the past and prove that Callie was, in fact, her soulmate, as she had once known.

Arizona didn't know what she believed in, but fate definitely was something she put faith into. She was certain that she was destined to be with Callie, and after thirteen years, she finally was going to give her entire self to the only person she had ever and would ever love.

* * *

 _Arizona furiously typed, her fingers barely able to keep up with the flow of ideas rolling around her head. She couldn't choose when her inspiration struck, and currently, that was in the middle of the night._

 _She'd set up a work station at Callie's desk, and plowed through her analysis of a series of poems her English class had been studying. Papers were scattered everywhere, as if a tornado had struck in the middle of the dorm room._

 _It was no secret that Arizona practically lived in Callie's room. Her roommate Izzy proved to be nosy and annoying, and she felt more at home here than anywhere else. So much so, that she had started daydreaming about little studio apartments that the two of them could share as they finished their degrees. It was her favorite fantasy, and hopefully would soon become a reality._

 _She was so wrapped up in her current paragraph that she didn't hear Callie get out of bed, and she slightly jumped when the brunette circled her arms around her._

 _"Babe, come to bed. The paper isn't due until Friday and you're almost finished. Rest."_

 _"I didn't mean to wake you," she apologized as she typed a quick conclusion. Her eyes never left the screen, even though all the rest of her senses were immediately captured by Callie._

 _"You didn't. You know I just don't sleep as well without you," she said, her arms continuing to embrace the blonde._

 _Arizona rolled her eyes. "You sleep like the dead, and you know it."_

 _"Still," Callie began as she slowly swiveled the chair around so they were facing one another, "I would sleep much better if my girlfriend was holding me."_

 _Callie was naked except for her underwear, and while Arizona did find every inch of the woman alluring, there was no lust. Just pure love and a craving to feel that returned._

 _However, feeling Callie's skin against her was definitely an added bonus._

 _"Calliope, you temptress." Arizona swiftly saved her paper, shut down the computer, and stood. She stripped the baggy shirt that she had haphazardly thrown on, and she followed the Latina into the small twin bed that they shared almost every night._

 _A ginormous bed. She was definitely adding that to the daydream._

 _Callie instantly curled around her, and Arizona snuggled perfectly against her. The cocoon Callie created was probably her favorite place to be in the entire world, and she could easily get lost here._

 _Hot breath tickled the back of her neck, and her pink lips curled into a smile. It was safe to assume that she had never been this happy._

 _"I love you," Callie murmured into her bare shoulder, following the statement with a kiss. Arizona could hear the sleepy tone and deep breath from her girlfriend, who clearly was already heading straight back into dream land._

 _"I love you too," Arizona responded, bringing Callie's hand to her lips so she could slowly kiss her palm. "I'm going to miss you."_

 _"Don't bring up the break. We still have three more days before we head home. And we will definitely make the most of our time together."_

 _Arizona smirked, flipping her body so that she was facing the brunette. "My dear Calliope, is that a challenge?" she asked as her hand slipped between two bronze thighs._

 _She immediately felt a hand press against her own center, her heart quickening at the contact. "Would that be a bad thing?"_

 _Her fingers slipped between folds, gently massaging nerves as she could feel how wet her girlfriend already was. "Luring me away from homework for sex. You are a trickster. And you'll definitely be the death of me."_

 _"You weren't complaining earlier when I fucked your brains out."_

 _"Don't use that phrase during finals week. I don't mind getting fucked as long as I keep my brains with me."_

 _"You're a dork."_

 _"You love me."_

 _"That I do." Callie kissed Arizona's forehead, both cheeks, and the tip of her nose before joining their lips together. "That I do."_

 _Callie rolled them over, slowly licking down Arizona's neck, around her breasts and nipples, down her stomach, and along both thighs. Her mouth lingered at her core, and Arizona already felt completely aroused and needing of whatever was to come next._

 _"Whatever are you doing now?"_

 _"Well," Callie started before flicking her tongue against Arizona's opening. "I'd like to think of this as some finals stress relief."_

 _"If you must know, I am so unbelievely stressed. To the point of a mental breakdown, really. So I think I need this more than ever."_

 _"Glad to be of service," Callie told her as she proceeded to give Arizona the best oral she would ever receive. Definitely not something she would ever complain about._

 _As soon as she hit her release, mind blowing, as always, Arizona nestled in Callie's arms. She ran her fingers through ebony hair, wishing she could stay here in the much too cramped twin bed with the love of her life. This was perfection, and she never wanted to let it go._

 _"Calliope?"_

 _"Hmm?"_

 _Arizona lightly pecked her forehead, her heart thundering as she gained the courage to say what had been on her mind for weeks now. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."_

 _Callie shifted so that they were able to directly look into each other's eyes. "Really?"_

 _She nodded. "I want everything with you. Marriage, kids, the house with the picket fence. The most perfect and wonderful life. I know we have so far to go, but I want us to go on our journeys together. I want us to be partners forever."_

 _"I want that too, Arizona. So much."_

 _"If you let me, I promise that I will love you every second of every day for as long as I live. You're the only one for me, and I want nothing more than to be yours forever."_

 _"Oh, my love, don't you know?" Callie questioned. "You have been mine and I have been yours since the moment we first met. And absolutely nothing will change that."_

 _Arizona kissed her, knowing that there was really no need for her to ever daydream. Because, honestly, she was already living the dream here and now. And she wouldn't change a thing._

 **Here's the next installment! Thank you for reading and sending love for this story. Writing this fic has been one of my favorite things to do.**

 **Please let me know what you think! Thanks again for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! It means the world to me.**


	9. Chapter 9

Callie shouldn't be nervous. After all, it wasn't like she hadn't been on plenty of dates before, especially with Arizona. But, this was the first one since they had properly reconnected, and she wanted it to go perfectly.

They had spent the last few days sending glances towards each other, stealing chaste and hurried kisses in stairwells as they ran into one another around the hospital, and meeting up for coffee and meals whenever they could. They had talked as much as they could, but it wasn't about deep things. It wasn't about the parts of their lives that mattered, and Callie hoped to get into all of that when they finally could. The fact of the matter was that they were both successful and busy surgeons, and as much as Callie wished to jump back into things as fast as she could, they had had to wait until they had a night free. And, after properly threatening Alex with bodily harm if he didn't switch her shifts, she made their schedules work, and promptly invited Arizona out for dinner.

She did have to pull a few strings to get the reservation she wanted at Seattle's best Italian restaurant, but everything fell into place, and it was all coming together as best as she could hope.

Still, Callie was unbelievably nervous. She wanted and needed tonight to go perfectly, and the more she thought about it, the more worked up she was. This was her first real date with Arizona in this second stage of their relationship, if she could call it that at this point. This was the starting point for their new beginning, now that they had established a desire to be together. But still, that desire did not ensure that everything was going to work out from here on.

Callie knew it wouldn't be easy. She knew that there were bound to be rocky moments and struggles, but she still prayed that it would go well. Tonight would prove if they were supposed to be together or not.

It would have been easier not to play up every detail so significantly in her mind, but Callie was never one to turn down a challenge. Even those that she had made up for herself.

She hurried around her room in just her bra and underwear, still not settled on an outfit yet, even though she was picking Arizona up in twenty minutes. It was crunch time.

As she rifled through her closet, she heard the front door open and shut. She didn't even have time to hurriedly cover herself before Lexie Grey popped into her room.

"Meredith sent me after she received your emergency texts," she explained to Callie's gaping expression. "I was told that I needed to pick out a dress for you before you have an aneurism."

Callie nodded, accepting her friend's help, and appreciating that someone had come to her aid.

"I am so completely stuck, you have no idea."

"Are you going for sexy, beautiful, a little slutty?" Lexie asked as she started flipping through hangers.

"Long lost lover?"

The other woman was silent for a moment before she sighed. "Not sure what vibe that is, but I'm just going to pick something so you will stop freaking out."

Callie shook her head. "Who's freaking out? I'm certainly not freaking out. I have no reason to freak out other than that if this night doesn't go perfectly I'm just doomed to be alone and loveless for the rest of my life-"

She was cut off when Lexie shoved a dress into her arms. "Just put this on, and calm down. And, for the love of God, please get that crazy look out of your eyes. It's going to be fine as long as you don't act like a psychopath."

"You've been spending too much time with Cristina."

Lexie shrugged as she glanced at her watch. "And you are going to be late if you don't throw that on in the next two minutes."

Callie quickly wiggled into the dress, noting that Lexie had picked a simple black garment with short sleeves and a neckline that dipped just enough to tease. It was very flattering, and as she smoothed it out over her curves, she couldn't complain. She did look good, and she hoped that Arizona would like what she saw.

The blonde could be wearing a potato sack and still look completely gorgeous, she was certain of that.

"Not bad, Grey," Callie stated as she emerged from the bathroom. "Not bad at all."

"I just picked out the first thing I saw, honestly. You just needed a decision made for you."

Callie nodded as she ran her fingers through her hair, adjusting her curls so they framed her face perfectly. Once content, she grabbed her jacket and purse, heading out the door.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue."

"Don't mention it. Thank Mer for making sure that you didn't have a panic attack." Lexie followed Callie onto the elevator, pushing the button for the ground floor. "Where are you taking her?"

"The Vineyard. She loved Italian in college," Callie told her as the elevator doors opened. "Hopefully she still does. I'm relearning everything about Arizona and it's making me lose my mind."

Lexie tilted her head to the side. "That's not a bad thing, though. Not everyone gets to meet and learn about someone twice. I think it's unique and special."

The two women exited the building, stopping at the curb as Lexie turned towards the hospital. "Wish me luck, Little Grey."

"You don't need luck, Callie." Lexie offered her a grin. "We are all rooting for you! Get some action! Mark told me to tell you that last part. I don't know if I liked how it sounded as much as he did. Just, have a great time, be yourself, and know that everything will work out if it's meant to be."

She stopped at her car, offering her friend a wide grin. "Thanks, Lexie. Now, go back to work and kick some surgical ass!"

Lexie was already starting to cross the street towards the hospital. "I was already planning to!"

Callie slid into her car, the smile still morphing her face. Hers nerves had settled quite a bit, and the little pep talk from Lexie had boosted her confidence just enough. She replayed it in her head as she drove towards the address Arizona had given her, her stomach filling with butterflies the closer she got. While she was more at ease, she still wanted things to go well, especially since it had been thirteen years since her last date with Arizona.

She parked outside a row of condos, taking a deep breath before she approached Arizona's door. This was just a date with a beautiful woman. The more she thought about how this could potentially be the beginning of the rest of her life with her soulmate, the more her stomach did somersaults.

Calm down, Torres.

As soon as she rang the doorbell, her heart started rapidly beating, her whole body filling with pure anticipation. But, once the door was opened to reveal the love of her life, her heart skipped a beat.

Arizona was absolutely and undeniably stunning in every way.

She wore a royal blue dress that perfectly accentuated her dazzling eyes. Her golden hair was lightly curled, and her locks bounced with every little movement. She had grown from the young adult Callie had once known into a living and breathing goddess, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from her.

The best part, the thing that really got her blood pumping, was the tiny gold heart shaped pendant that hung around Arizona's neck. Seeing proof that this woman had held onto them just as much as she had made Callie happier than she even thought she could describe.

"You...are _so_ beautiful," Callie breathed as her eyes scanned every inch of the woman in front of her.

The slightest blush rose to Arizona's cheeks. "You're flattering. And you look amazing yourself, Calliope."

The blonde leaned forward and grabbed Callie's coat, pulling her inside. Once the door shut behind them, she pushed the brunette against the wood and locked their lips together.

Callie's hands slithered down Arizona's body as she pulled the other woman fully against her. Her tongue brushed against pink lips, parting them to gain access. She heard Arizona moan as their kiss was deepened, only to reciprocate the action.

She would have been content skipping dinner and staying right here all night.

However, she also wanted to take Arizona on a real and intimate date, so she pulled away, breaking their kiss.

"Hi," she said as she leaned her forehead against the blonde's.

"Hi." Arizona gently stroked a caramel cheek, as she licked her lips, no doubt tasting Callie on her. "I have been wanting to do that every time I saw you."

"Oh really?"

Arizona slowly kissed Callie, as if to prove her point. "Absolutely." She then stepped back and smoothed out her dress. "Now, shall we?"

The blonde slipped her coat on, and Callie remained dumbstruck. The hold that Arizona had on her was truly out of this world, and she was constantly mesmerized by the woman before her.

Callie led them out the door, and once they were in the car, the drive to the restaurant sped by. They made small talk, but it was comfortable and relaxed. She did have the strong urge to reach across the center consol to rest her hand upon a sculpted thigh, but she resisted. There would be plenty of time for caressing and touching, and there was no need for her to get too eager.

They were seated right by the window, just as Callie had requested. It did pay to have saved the life of the chef here, as they were currently looking out over the city and the space needle.

In between ordering their meals and having glasses of wine poured, they discussed their medical careers. They both had accomplished so much with work, and each of them talked with so much passion. Callie loved it. When they were in school, it had been wonderful to talk about their dreams and future careers, but this was so much better. Sharing success with one another made Callie unbelievably happy. She loved being able to share this with Arizona, and she could talk about it forever.

"So, you never did tell me why you chose Seattle," Callie said as their meals were placed in front of them.

"Well," Arizona started, draping her napkin across her lap, "I loved Hopkins. I really did. Hell, it was an incredible program, and I was blessed to be there. But, it was so great that I couldn't have really progressed. There were always doctors overshadowing me. When I was offered an attending position here with access to my own research and an opportunity to really lead and shine, I couldn't pass that up."

"That's amazing, Arizona. You've earned that chance."

She grinned before trying her food. "God, Callie, this is awesome. You definitely get brownie points for picking this place." She took a sip of her wine before returning to the conversation. "You never told me how you ended up here. Or why you're still in your residency when you should be an attending by now. I'm not judging, just curious. Shit, I think I'm digging myself into a hole right now."

Callie chuckled before taking a bite of her food, contemplating her response. "You're alright. Most people do wonder." She laid her utensils down and laced her fingers together. "Well, after Freshman year, I kind of had a little bit of a life crisis. I didn't really know who I was or what I wanted. So, I joined the Peace Corps. I spent a year in Botswana, and it was the single best decision I have ever made. Helping people and giving back just confirmed that I wanted to go into medicine. But, more than that, it helped me define who I was and truly decide what I wanted my life to look like. I'll forever be grateful for that."

"Callie...that's incredible. I had no idea that you were even considering the Peace Corps."

"It was always something I wanted to do. I pushed that dream aside for different ones...but when my plans changed...I guess I just threw all caution to the wind and and decided to go for it."

Arizona intensely stared at her before her face split into a shining grin. She moved her hand across the table, holding her palm up until Callie slipped their hands together. "Calliope, you continue to astound and amaze me. You did in college and you do now."

Callie squeezed the pale hand she held, and she wished that she never had to let go. "I don't know if I told you this...but I'm really glad you came to Seattle."

"Me too."

She picked up her wine glass and extended it towards the blonde, who held her own up. "We never did toast earlier, so I'd like to make one now. To new beginnings."

"To us," Arizona added as she clinked their glasses together.

They held each other's eyes as they drank, and Callie could feel a special kind of magic ignite between them. Being here with Arizona felt so right in so many ways, and having this second chance now was more than she ever could have asked for.

As they ate their meal, they continued to talk about anything and everything. They had quickly grown comfortable with one another again, and it was wonderful. While Callie definitely had people she could talk to, she had missed the ease and natural feeling of being around Arizona. She wanted to tell her everything, and she felt like the blonde genuinely wanting to listen.

Once they finished and she picked up the check, Callie led them outside. It was a nice September night with clear skies and only a slight breeze, so she decided to take Arizona to a nearby park. They strolled along next to each other, and after a moment of her fingers itching to extend, Callie slipped her palm into Arizona's, feeling instant relief. Holding hands was such a simple thing, but it connected them so much, and she was slowly becoming addicted to the sensation. These hands were the only ones she ever wanted to grasp for the rest of her life.

"I'd like to take you to my favorite place in the world," she told Arizona as they strolled along the path. The walkway split off, and she led them past a few trees until the came to an overlook. It was just a simple bench looking out towards the city, but it was serene, beautiful, and a place Callie loved.

"Wow," Arizona breathed as they took a seat, "this is breathtaking."

"No one comes up here much. It's my favorite place to be for a bit of an escape. It gives me peace."

"Thank you for taking me here and showing me this. That means so much."

Callie turned towards Arizona, her eyes scanning every inch of the miraculous face that was before her. "After you, I've been really afraid of falling in love. I just have never thought that anyone I met would catch me, I guess. But, sitting here with you now, I'm realizing that I'm not afraid anymore. I'm not scared about what the future holds or where it's going to take me. I just...I've found that courage, you know?"

"I do." Arizona leaned her head against her shoulder. Callie wrapped her arm around the other woman, pulling her close. She felt her take a deep breath before continuing. "I didn't come to Seattle just for the job. I came here because my girlfriend proposed to me and I said no."

She tensed up and looked down at the golden head nestled against her. "What?"

"Lauren and I...we had been seeing each other for about two years. I know that getting married was what she wanted and the next step. But I was always just a little too closed off to her. It drove her crazy. I never could talk to her about anything. I honestly don't know why she stuck around so long or why she wanted to marry me. So, when she asked, I told her I couldn't spend my life with her. That she wasn't the one for me. And, after that, I realized I couldn't stay there. If I did, I think that I would have settled in both my career and in my love life. Then I got offered the job here, and I moved a week later."

Silence hung between them for a moment as Callie processed what had been said. She had been in her own relationships, and she knew that Arizona had hers as well, but it was still strange for that to be out in the open. But, she wanted to know these things. Arizona's journey had made her into the woman she was today, and she had to be open to every bit of that.

"Did you...did you love her? Even just a little bit?"

Arizona nodded. "I did. Just not enough. I cared about her and I still do, but I believe that I'm only capable of fully and completely loving one person." She tilted her head up so their faces were only inches apart. "You."

Callie looked down and wrung her hands in her lap, knowing that she needed to share a piece of her past with this woman. After being vulnerable, Arizona deserved for her to do the same.

"I was married."

The blonde paused for a moment before she spoke up. "When?"

"Two years ago. We were stupid and rushed into things and got married on a whim. Two months in he slept with someone. Divorce papers were signed before my family even met him. He joined the army not long after and is overseas working as a medic."

"He hurt you, didn't he?" Arizona quietly inquired.

She nodded. "Yeah. More than anything he just made me feel like I made a complete fool of myself. Looking back I know that I wasn't in love with him...but I was miserable and George, for the briefest period of time, filled a void so I trusted him and decided that what feelings I had were strong enough. I was kidding myself."

"I'm sorry you were hurt like that." Arizona reached forward and grasped Callie's hand, stroking her skin with the pad of her thumb. "I wish that life had been kinder to you. And I know that's partially my fault."

"Stop. We agreed that we wouldn't apologize anymore."

"I know, I know," she insisted. "But, there was a lot of heartache in both of our lives that could have been avoided, and I'll always be sorry for that. We both have tried to love other people and that's just too damn hard to do when your heart still belongs to someone else."

Callie felt her face soften, and she immediately itched to be closer to the woman in front of her. She shifted on the bench and wrapped both her arms around Arizona, where they always had fit perfectly. Night had fallen, and it was quiet and still around them. It was as if they were the last two people in the world, and she longed to freeze this moment in time and savor the closeness and intimacy she felt.

She pulled the blonde towards her in a tight embrace, feeling Arizona nestle against her perfectly as they had done a million times before. Callie held the love of her life, the touch signaling her desire for this woman, a desire that she would never let slip away again.

"I want to be the only person you love for the rest of your life."

"You will be."

"I only want to love you for the rest of my life."

"I would want nothing else."

She breathed in Arizona's sent, feeling purely intoxicated and overwhelmed in the best way possible. Her mind replayed words that Arizona had shared with her previously, and she repeated them back.

"It's always been only you, Arizona. And it always will be," she stated, putting as much love and devotion into her words as she possibly could.

 **Let me know what you think! I know we've had quite a bit of fluff, so there may be some drama in store for these two...stay tuned!**

 **As always, thank you thank you thank you for reading, following, favoriting, reviewing, and just being fans of this story. You all are incredible, and your support keeps me going.**


	10. Chapter 10

As she slowly stirred awake, Arizona felt her hand wander across the sheets of her bed, disappointed to find it empty. She didn't expect anyone to be there, but she already ached to sleep next to the woman she loved, and it was taking too damn long for her liking.

They had behaved themselves, for the most part. For the past few weeks, they had spent as much time together as possible. They had gone to movies, out to dinner, gotten coffee, went out for drinks with friends, and just been together. Arizona didn't need elaborate or fancy dates. She simply just loved being around Callie, no matter what they did.

The two of them had shared a few late nights. Typically, they retreated to one of their homes, shared a bottle of wine, and just talked for hours. Arizona was heavily sleep deprived, but she had no care in the world. Because every word she shared with Callie was worth it. Every wine drunk kiss was worth it. Every caress and touch and moment their bodies took over was everything she wanted. She wouldn't change a thing.

Well, maybe one.

Arizona wanted to have sex. That urge only grew every time she saw Callie. But, they had agreed to take things slow, and she knew that was the right thing to do. With their history, bringing sex back would just make things more complicated, so they needed to wait for the right time. That didn't mean that this was easy, though.

For a moment, Arizona kept her eyes closed, and she pictured Callie snoring next to her. She pretended to curl next to the lucious curves that she adored, letting her hands wander and explore as Callie slowly woke...

Good lord, she needed to take a cold shower.

She rolled over, her hand searching for her phone. Once she turned it on, she found that she had three voicemails, two from Callie and one from her ex.

 _"Arizona you will not believe what I just pulled out of a patient's rectum. It's totally intern work and I should be pissed but I don't even care. Anyway, you'll have to come find me if you want the dirty deets. It's too juicy for over the phone."_

She grinned as she played the next message.

 _"I'm thinking about you. And not in a sexy way. I'm mainly just jealous that you're sleeping while I am on the night shift. I also just miss you. That's all. Actually, oh my God, I remembered what I needed to tell you! I walked in on Cristina and Owen having sex in an on call room. Like, I knew they were hooking up, but still. Seeing it in the flesh was not how I pictured my night going. Anyway, we can gossip once you're awake, sleeping beauty."_

God, she loved just listening to Callie's voice. Even if the brunette was talking about nothing in particular. It was nice to wake up to these.

Her thumb hovered over the third voicemail for a moment as she debated over whether or not she actually wanted to listen to it. She finally decided that she at least owed Lauren that much.

 _"Hey, Arizona. It's me. I guess I'm just calling to check on you. I was wondering if we could talk? I'd just like to get some closure if we really are done. I hope to hear from you."_

She felt a stab of guilt in her chest, and she knew that she needed to offer more of an explanation to Lauren. Even though she had ended things, she had left soon afterwards, and she wanted to set things right instead of disappearing into thin air. She was trying to learn from her mistakes of the past, and she owed her ex at least one phone call.

Arizona had her whole message rehearsed, so she was thrown off when Lauren actually answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey...Lauren," she started as she sat up fully in bed. "I got your message."

The other woman was silent for a moment before she answered. "It's really good to hear your voice, Arizona. I've missed you."

"Me too."

"Really?"

Arizona sighed. "Despite everything...yes. You were a big part of my life and I still care about you." Her fingers fiddled with a loose string on her comforter, slowly pulling at it.

"Just not enough to stay in Boston."

"Lauren, I had to go. Staying there wouldn't have made me happy. And forcing feelings for you would have been unfair to you and we both would have been miserable."

"I know," she replied. "It still sucks."

"Yeah. And I'm really sorry about that." Arizona paused for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "Lauren, I want you to know that it wasn't your fault that we ended. You were always good to me and were everything someone should want. I just have always been in love with someone else, and I thought that I could get over those feelings, but I didn't. And I don't want to."

"Are you at least going to go find her?"

Arizona felt herself smile the slightest bit. "I have. She's here in Seattle. I'm happy, Lauren. And I want you to feel the way that I do now. I want you to find your great and amazing love. You deserve that."

She was silent for a while, and Arizona wondered if she should have held her tongue.

"I'm glad you're happy. And I hope that I can be one day too. And I hope that if our paths cross again, we can still be friends. Because I will always care about you, even if I'm still mad and upset that you broke my heart. I guess I'm starting to realize that we were never in the same place, so now I can begin to heal."

"I still care about you, Lauren. And I will continue to do so. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Is this goodbye?"

"I think it should be, at least for now," Arizona answered. "Take care, Lauren."

"You as well."

The call ended, and Arizona held her phone for a moment as she processed through the conversation. A weight had been lifted off her chest, and she felt good that she had made sure that there was a clean break. Leaving Lauren with questions would have been unfair, and talking for just a few minutes made her feel as if she had set things right, at least for now.

Arizona realized that she now could fully move forward, with nothing holding her back. That's what she wanted more than anything.

* * *

She roamed around the emergency room, her eyes scanning for her favorite doctor at the hospital. Callie was supposed to be finishing up her shift, and Arizona wanted to catch her before she left. Armed with a cinnamon roll and a fresh cup of coffee, she maneuvered between doctors and nurses until she spotted someone familiar.

"Mark!" she called, catching the attention of the plastic surgeon.

She had met him when Callie took them out for drinks, and she was still figuring out how she felt about the best friend of the woman she was seeing. He had a distinct persona, and he was cocky, arrogant, and a definite playboy. But, he also was a brilliant doctor, a caring man, and an incredible friend to Callie. So, while she still needed to determine her own opinions about him and build a friendship for herself, she had accepted him into her life.

He grinned as he shut the file he was glancing over. "Blondie! What's up?"

"Have you seen Callie?"

"I'm just starting my rounds. I know that she got pulled into a surgery a while ago, her name is on the board." He picked up his coat that was draped over a chair and slipped it on. "Come on, I'll walk you."

Arizona raised her brow. "I'm no damsel in distress, and I certainly don't need an escort around the hospital."

Mark laughed. "No one's thinking that. On the contrary, you're known for being a hardass." He smirked as they began to walk towards the surgical floor. "I'm just trying to bond with you, Robbins. It's what Callie would want," he told her.

"Since when did you become the expert on all things Torres?"

"Since I am her favorite person in the entire world, and I know her better mentally and physically than anyone else," he declared.

A small red flag went up in Arizona's mind. She certainly wasn't a fan of that. "What do you mean, physically?"

Mark instantly groaned. "I...shouldn't have said anything. She can tell you whatever she wants. Just know that we have a history that is deeper than most and at the end of the day we are currently best friends and nothing more. Anything further ended before you got here."

She stood before the elevator door with a dumbfounded expression as she attempted to process the pieces of information she had just received.

Arizona didn't have time to say anything, as the elevator opened to reveal the topic of their current conversation.

"Hey! My two favorite people!" Callie exclaimed.

"Well, that was easy. I'm going to go hunt down whatever residents are assigned to me today. Have a good one, Robbins." Mark patted Arizona on the back before he turned towards Callie. "Torres, let me know if you want to grab drinks later, and I'm all yours." He winked and strode off, leaving the two women to themselves.

Arizona extended the food and coffee she brought. "Here's some breakfast for you."

Callie gave her a wide smile as she gratefully took the to-go box and mug. "Why thank you. I definitely need it. Just got out of a spinal surgery with Derek, and let me tell you, he does not go easy on his residents. Especially not me, because he is fully aware of my brilliance," she said, already digging into the cinnamon roll. "You have a minute?"

"Yep. I'm not due for my rounds for another ten."

"Sweet. Wanna walk me to the lowly residents' lounge?"

Arizona nodded, falling into step with the brunette as they wove their way through the hospital. "I quite enjoyed your voicemails last night.

Callie laughed before taking a long drink. "Damn, that's great. Yeah, I have this weird thing now where you're like the only person I want to talk to. Which is rather difficult when you are asleep and I'm here."

"Well, you could talk to Mark."

The Latina stopped in her tracks so she could fully face Arizona. "Okay, what is that supposed to mean?"

"He told me that he mentally and physically knows you better than anyone else. Not sure exactly what he meant by that," she replied. She wasn't sure if she was curious, jealous, or a mixture of both. Still, what Mark had said to her left a twisted feeling in her gut, and she wasn't a fan of that whatsoever.

Callie looked towards the ceiling and sighed. "Though he does have brains, Mark always could rely on his good looks, so he never properly developed a filter," she told her. "Full disclosure: Mark and I have a lot of history. He's been my best friend for a while now, and he is my person. We did used to sleep together, though. We never had a romantic relationship, it was purely friends with benefits. And it's completely over and not something I've even thought about for weeks. Mark is always going to be a huge part of my life and my best friend, but I want to be cleared that as long as I am seeing you, I have absolutely no interest, desire, or intention to do anything more with him." Arizona was silent as she processed everything that was said, and Callie reached forward and gave a squeeze to her arm. "Are you done being paranoid now?"

"No. I'm the crazy one in this relationship."

Callie chuckled. "Today you are. But tomorrow, I'll be the crazy one."

Arizona grinned. "Thank you, Calliope." Her heartbeat quickened as a thought flew through her mind, and she immediately knew what step she wanted to take, now more than ever.

However, before she could say a word, Callie beat her to it. "Would you like to come over tonight?"

"Are you asking me on a date, Calliope?"

"Actually, I'm asking my girlfriend if she would like to spend the night. So in a way, yes"

Arizona's beeper went off, signaling that her duty was most definitely calling, at the most inconvenient time.

Callie had called her her girlfriend. They most definitely had not defined themselves or assigned labels to whatever they were doing. While they both had expressed their desired exclusivity with one another, they most definitely had not talked about it further. It was strange, since they often called themselves soulmates, that now Arizona was feeling butterflies at being referred to simply as a girlfriend.

She glanced at her beeper quickly, then shot her girlfriend a wide and stunning smile. "I will most definitely see you tonight, Calliope."

She couldn't help but hope that it would be the night for them. A step forward.

* * *

Arizona adjusted her blouse as she waited outside of Callie's apartment. She had been anxiously watching the clock all day, looking forward to the chance to clock out and race to her girlfriend's home. Typically, she never wanted to leave the hospital, but ever since Callie had come back into her life, she was always itching for work to conclude so they could spend time together.

Only a few moments after she had knocked, the door swung open to reveal the woman of her affections.

Her girlfriend.

She loved how that sounded. And she hoped to discuss that further tonight.

"Hey, you," Callie greeted as she held the door wide. Her hair was twisted up into a messy bun, and she had an apron tied around her waist, splattered with bits of food. She stepped towards Arizona, lightly kissing her cheek as they entered.

"Smells good."

"It's chicken piccata. I think I've finally got this recipe mastered, but you will be the judge of that." She returned to the stove, immediately picking up a spoon and stirring a sauce that was bubbling. "How was work?"

Arizona leaned against the counter, watching Callie cook. Lately she had discovered that Callie had a true gift for cooking, much to her delight. She definitely loved good food.

"Good. We had an attendings meeting," she stated.

Callie raised her brow. "Oh, really? Anything you can share with a lowly resident?"

"Want to hear about my Peds budget?" she asked as she moved around to the stove. She quickly dipped her finger into the sauce, licking it off as she received an exaggerated scoff from Callie. "This is delicious so far!"

Arizona lightly brushed Callie's arm, letting her touch linger as the other woman continued to cook.

"I want to hear every little thing about you, babe." Callie plated their chicken as the sauce was finished. She surveyed her work before looking up, flashing a giant smile. "This might be my best dish yet, lucky for you."

"My cooking abilities extend to ordering pizza, so everything you do in the kitchen truly amazes me." Arizona accepted the food Callie extended towards her. They moved to the couch, sitting directly next to one another with their food nestled on their laps.

As soon as she took her first bite, Arizona let out a low moan, earning a laugh from Callie. "Do you need to get a room?" she asked.

"If you keep cooking like this, then absolutely." She brought another piece of chicken to her lips, eagerly biting into it. Once she had swallowed, she shifted her focus from the heavenly food on her plate to the heavenly woman beside her. "So, tell me about your day, Calliope. Solve any murders? Steal the Declaration of Independence? Figure out the meaning of life?"

Callie reached forward and brushed her thumb against the corner of her mouth, wiping away some stray sauce. Arizona felt a shiver skip down her spine, only adding flame to the physical urge that was slowly burning within her. She mentally shook herself, coming back to the present. If all went well, there would be time for that later.

"Well, before I got to all of that, I took a massive nap, did laundry, and showered. So pretty much more hardcore than you expected from me," she proclaimed, giving Arizona a smug look. God, she was adorable.

Arizona moved forward, unable to contain herself. She collided their lips, deeply connecting them together. The kiss was traced with hints of spices and lemon, but also tasted uniquely and wonderfully like Callie. She sighed into the kiss as Callie sucked on her bottom lip and slid her hand along her waist. As she pulled back, she nuzzled their noses together. "You're incredible," she murmured under her breath.

"Where did that come from?" Callie asked, the pads of her fingers tracing circles against Arizona's side.

"Don't you know? You're incredibly kissable."

Callie chuckled and shook her head as she pulled away. "You know how to flatter a girl, that's for sure." She resumed eating, an action that Arizona mimicked.

A thought bounced around her brain, one that hadn't quieted for hours. She had to talk to Callie, in order to set things straight. It was important to her that they remained on the same page as much as possible, and today was no different.

"Calliope, can I ask you something?"

She nodded as she swallowed a bite of food. "You always can."

Arizona set her practically cleared plate on the coffee table, her hands instantly moving to thread her fingers together. "Am I...your girlfriend?"

Callie tilted her head to the side. "I mean, that's what I've been thinking of you as. Do you want to be?"

"Of course. We just...we just talked about taking it slow and rebuilding things. And I know that we aren't seeing anyone else, but we hadn't discussed titles or anything. Then you called me your girlfriend today and so I wanted to be sure that that's where we are at because I think of you in that way but I didn't know if we still needed to define things or not and-"

Her ramblings were instantly cut of by a pair of ruby lips capturing hers in a quick kiss. As soon as they parted, Callie broke into a smile. "I liked everything you were saying, I just didn't know how to get you to stop talking long enough for me to say that I would love to be your girlfriend if you want to be mine."

Arizona grinned as pure happiness spread throughout her entire body. "Yes, Calliope. I want to be your girlfriend, and I want you to be mine."

Callie discarded her own plate, and Arizona couldn't help but notice that now there was hardly anything left in their way. The other woman must have picked up on this as well, as she swiftly leaned forward and pushed Arizona back.

Good hell, she could kiss Calliope Torres every second of every day and never get bored.

Caramel hands linked with hers, and her arms were brought above her head and pinned down against the cushion. Hot, wet kisses were placed along her jaw and up and down her neck, and Arizona tightly shut her eyes. She let all of her energy be focused into purely feeling every physical and emotional sensation that Callie was triggering within her. And fuck, it was all incredible.

Her body naturally took over, moving in perfect synchronization with Callie's. She arched her back as a tongue dipped slightly below the neckline of her shirt, already teasing her. Callie had always been an expert at that.

Callie released her hands, only to slide her own down Arizona's chest until they rested right below her bosom. "May I?" she whispered, making all the hairs on Arizona's body stand up. She wanted this woman so badly she could hardly stand it, and she was eager for things to move forward. Shit, she needed them to at this point.

She grasped Callie's hands in her own. "Touch me, Calliope," she said as she guided two palms to grasp and squeeze her breasts. It was sensational. "We aren't going to have any interruptions tonight, are we?" she asked in between content and lustful sighs.

Callie shook her head before lightly sucking on Arizona's pulse point. "I made sure that no one else would be here. It's just you and me."

"Fuck, yes."

Her hands slithered up to Callie's face, cupping her cheeks and guiding her into a heated and passionate kiss. She slipped her tongue between two plump lips as she shifted her leg between Callie's, receiving a satisfied moan from the other woman. She could feel her nipples perk and harden as fingertips massaged them, and her own arousal steadily built within her.

Callie slipped her hands beneath her shirt, and Arizona felt soft fingertips brush along her back and her stomach. It was as if she was touching every inch of her skin in order to remap and relearn her body. She wanted Callie to feel her again, fully and completely.

Fingers played with the clasp of her bra, and in one swift motion, Callie undid the garment and pulled it out of Arizona's shirt, tossing it across the room. Her hands wandered back to Arizona's chest, and she shivered as her breasts were directly fondled without any clothing in the way.

She ran her fingers through Callie's hair, undoing the elastic so that ebony locks spilled down and around them. She brushed her hair away from her face, slowly stroking the back of Callie's neck as they continuously kissed one another. Arizona slid one hand down voluptuous curves until she grasped a firm and round backside, giving it a quick squeeze as she grinded her thigh against Callie's center.

"Shit," she gasped, thrusting her pelvis down to create even more friction. She lightly rolled a pink nipple between her fingertips as one hand quickly moved to stroke between Arizona's legs. "I can tease you too, you know."

"Don't taunt me," Arizona husked. She reached to the front of Callie's jeans, undoing the button and zipper so she had full access. "I promise that you will regret it."

Her fingers slipped through soft, dark curls, and her index finger quickly circled around an aroused bud before withdrawing.

Callie lightly groaned as she nibbled on Arizona's earlobe. "That was pure evil, and you know it." She deeply kissed the blonde as she tugged her shirt up to reveal a pale stomach. As she stroked Arizona's skin, she kissed along her neck and jaw until she reached her ear once more. "Would you be interested in moving this to my bedroom?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely."

Arizona pushed them up, smoothly peeling off Callie's shirt and flinging it across the room. Her mouth instantly latched on top of her bosom, sucking it hard before moving to kiss her hard on the lips.

They somehow rose from the couch while keeping their mouths connected. Frantically kissing the entire time Callie guided them towards her room, their hands worked to rid them of as much clothing as possible.

Once they reached the bed, her door kicked shut behind them, Callie pushed Arizona down, straddling her. Two pairs of hands fumbled with Callie's pants until they were rolled down her long legs and kicked to the side. Arizona sat up to practically rip the black, lacy underwear off of her girlfriend, leaving her completely bare. The pads of her fingertips ran up and down the body before her, and she was completely mesmerized. She had never forgotten Callie, but she was still in awe of just how beautiful the woman in front of her was.

Callie draped herself across Arizona, resting on her forearms on either side of her face. She brushed blonde hair back, her chocolate gaze dark and tinted with lust. "What are you looking at?"

"You." Arizona grasped a bare back, pulling Callie down further so their exposed chests brushed against one another. "You are so beautiful. A goddess."

"You know what to say to make a girl blush." Callie nuzzled their noses together, a sweet and intimate gesture in the midst of passion. "I want you, Arizona."

She tilted her head up, capturing Callie's lips with her own. "I want you too, Calliope. I've always wanted you."

A tanned, naked body slid down along her until she was kneeling between Arizona's legs. "If that's the case," she started, fidgeting with the clasp on her pants, "then you will need to be much more naked."

Callie started pulling Arizona's jeans slowly down her legs, but as soon as she felt the slight tug of the fabric against her prosthetic, she froze up. Her breath hitched, and her heart skipped a beat. And not in a good way.

"Stop. Stop. Callie, stop," she spit out as her body started to shake. She scrambled away, grasping her jeans and pulling them up. Without thinking, she rolled off the bed and hurried into the adjoined bathroom, slamming the door behind her and locking it.

She could hear Callie calling after her, but she blocked it all out. Arizona slid to the ground as tremors shook her body, and she let the tears that had rapidly built in her eyes fall.

What the fuck was wrong with her?

 **Here's the next chapter! Thank you all for patiently waiting. I hope you enjoy!**

 **I must say, I love writing angst and fluff, so I hope this story will be a good mix of both. I hope you guys like reading both!**

 **As always, thanks for reading and continuously following this story. I appreciate it more than you all can know. You keep me motivated!**

 **I am hard at work on the next chapter, so hopefully there won't be a long wait. Let me know what you think so far!**


	11. Chapter 11

Things had been going well. They had been vulnerable with one another, and were approaching a huge milestone. Being truly intimate with one another was something that Callie longed for, and she had thought that tonight was the night.

That had changed in an instant.

She had no idea why Arizona had so quickly eradicated so many walls or why she rushed away. The blonde had been an active and enthusiastic partner, until suddenly she wasn't.

Callie retrieved a discarded robe off of the floor, wrapping it around her before tapping on the door. "Arizona? What's going on?"

"Callie, I can't do this right now." She could hear distinctive sniffles, and she detected a quiver in Arizona's voice.

"What can't you do? Talk to me, please."

She rested her forehead against the wooden barrier as her palm laid flat against the surface. She ached to be closer to Arizona, wanting to give her whatever she needed in this moment.

"I...I can't...I can't...I just can't. You won't understand," Arizona squeaked out as she burst into tears. Callie's heart broke as she listened to the woman cry. She wished that she could simply gather her into her arms and make all this hurt and pain go away. There just had to be something that she could do for Arizona, she just didn't know what.

Callie lightly turned the doorknob, disappointedly finding that it was locked. Just another barrier that she was now determined to break down. "Give me a chance to understand," she said as she rested her palm against the wood. "I want to understand, if you can let me."

There wasn't a break in sobs for a few moments, and then she heard a few scattered hiccups, signaling that the blonde was attempting to calm down and speak.

"I don't want you to see me," Arizona eventually managed to get out. "Not completely, at least."

"That's fine. I don't have to see all of you right now. But this conversation might be a little bit easier to have face to face. If you want to."

She wondered if Arizona would respond or if she would stay shut in the bathroom. Callie waited patiently, knowing that she had placed the ball in the other woman's court. If they wanted to move forward in this moment, Arizona had to take that step. Callie was here and willing to open this up, but she couldn't force her love to be vulnerable.

After a short while, a bit of shuffling sounded from behind the door, and much to her surprise, she heard the latch flip on the bathroom. The physical barrier between them swung open to reveal a haggard and emotional Arizona standing with a robe tightly wrapped around her.

Her eyes dropped to scan the clothing on her. "Sorry, I should have asked. I just found this by your towels."

"It's okay. What's mine is yours." Callie tentatively reached forward, grasping Arizona's upper arms. The blonde tensed for a moment as her bottom lip started to quiver. "Can I hold you?"

Arizona nodded as fresh tears started rolling down her face, and she stepped forward. Callie pulled the woman towards her, capturing her into a tight embrace as she collapsed in her arms. Arizona held onto her tightly as she buried her face against Callie's neck. Her fingers cupped the back of a blonde head, and she poured all of her emotion and adoration into her hug. She vowed to never let this woman go, and she hoped to do everything in her power to provide the comfort she needed.

"I'm sorry," Arizona mumbled, her voice thick with hurt.

"Shh, shh. You have nothing to apologize for. It's all going to be okay. I'm right here." Callie slowly rubbed her back as she whispered quiet reassurances in her ear. She turned her head and placed a long, sweet kiss against Arizona's temple, a gesture that almost instantly made the blonde relax even more. "I've got you, my love. I've got you."

"Callie, I don't know what to do," she breathed as she nestled further into her neck. "I thought that I could handle things, but I'm slowly realizing just how messed up I am."

She lightly ran her fingers through soft, golden strands of hair as she formulated her response. "Well," she began as she cleared her voice, "if that's the case, then I guess we will just have to be messed up together." Callie squeezed her tight, placing a quick series of kisses on the crown of her head. "I adore you, Arizona, and I'm here for you. In whatever way you need."

Arizona pulled back and looked up at Callie. She noticed puffy, red rimmed eyes, and she cupped two tear soaked ivory cheeks in her hands. "I'm a disaster, Callie. I am so broken on the inside and outside, and I hate so much about myself. Are you really prepared for all of that? Are you really wanting to see all of me? Because I'm realizing now that this is so goddamn difficult, and moving forward for us means dealing with a lot of really hard and complicated and messy shit. That terrifies me, and I don't know if I'm ready."

"Do you want to know what I think?" Arizona nodded, and Callie gently brushed away tear tracks with the pads of her thumbs. "I think that life is made up of so much complicated and messy shit that it sometimes makes me wonder what the point is. But, we get to choose how we deal with it. We can decide if we want to run and hide or if we want to face it with our head held high. Now, I'm not going to tell you how to feel or what you should do. However, I think that if we really want to build this special life together, then running and hiding isn't the place to start." The blonde dropped her gaze, so she tilted her chin up so their eyes were locked once again. "You're not alone. You have me. And I am all in, no matter what. We don't have to do this today or anytime soon. Just know that when you are ready, I will be right here."

"What did I ever do to deserve you, Calliope?"

"I could ask you the same question." Callie leaned forward and lightly kissed Arizona's forehead.

"Callie?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't know if I ever will truly be ready to move forward. But, I think I might just need to take a leap of faith, and trust that you will catch me."

"Oh, Arizona," Callie said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I will always, always catch you."

Arizona closed the distance between them, capturing Callie's lips with her own. The kiss was long and lingering, and charged full of so much love that Callie swore that she saw and felt fireworks erupt all around them.

"I love you," Arizona whispered into the kiss, her breath dancing across Callie's skin.

"I love you too."

She kissed her back, sweetly cradling her face in her hands as if she held the most precious thing in the world. Which she did. Though they had shared an intense passion earlier, one that Callie thoroughly enjoyed, a moment like this was worth so much more. She craved this intimacy and this feeling that there was no one else but them in the entire world. It felt like they were completely connected, and though they still had a ways to go, she was certain that their souls had already begun to properly weave back together, right where they belonged.

Arizona must have sensed the closeness as well, as she pulled back with a deep breath. "I want to talk. I need to tell you everything."

"You don't have to. We can give it time."

She shook her head. "I don't want to wait. I'm completely terrified of these feelings, but I want to share my whole self with you. Our past is so important to me, but in order for us to have a real and genuine future, you need to know the person that I am today."

"Okay," she stated. "Whatever you want. I will be right here."

They moved to sit on Callie's bed, entwining their fingers together as they faced one another. Callie didn't say a word, as she didn't want to push Arizona in any way. This was in no way an easy conversation for them to have, and she wanted it to happen completely on the blonde's terms.

Arizona tightly squeezed Callie's hands in what appeared to be a sort of grounding gesture. Her eyes remained trained on her left leg, no doubt reliving every moment of that entire experience. Callie couldn't even imagine the hardships that she had gone through, or what she was feeling now. She could only hope that this was truly what Arizona really wanted, and that moving forward wouldn't knock them down in any way.

"Callie...I need you to understand just how difficult this is for me. I don't talk about what happened and how it still influences me to this very day. I just don't open up about it. I struggle so much with myself and my situation, and I don't like showing that side to others."

"Arizona, we don't have to do this now. Not if it is too much."

"No, I think we do. If I can't share this part of me with you, then how can we possibly share a life together? I can't run away every second that your hand gets too close to my leg. I can't have a panic attack just at the idea of taking it off. I can't want to burst into tears whenever I think about you seeing my scars. That's not a way to live. I want to be vulnerable with you and build something with you, and to do that, I have to do something that terrifies me. I have to show you who I really am now."

Callie gazed down at their joined hands, knowing that she ached for their hearts to be just as connected as they used to be. And that this was the first step towards that. "Arizona, I loved all of the woman I knew years ago. And I still love her. But, I'm also falling for the woman in front of me now, and I want to love all of her. I will love all of you, if you are willing to show it to me."

Arizona gave her the smallest of smiles before slowly exhaling. "This is harder than it ever has been for me. The others...well, with anyone else, it wasn't as difficult to reveal this about myself. They wouldn't know any different, so they liked me for who I was, even missing a leg. It was easier. I could pretend that that was who I had always been, and I got used to it. But with you...you knew me before. You have an image of me in your head. You fell in love with who I used to be, and all these years later, I'm scared that you won't love who I am now."

"What? That's not-"

"-Please, let me explain," Arizona said as she held up her hand. "I know that I've made this up in my head. I know that. But, that doesn't make my feelings any less valid." She slowly exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment before looking at Callie once more. "In my mind, you have this perfect image of me. You knew me before everything...before I became damaged. You haven't seen the broken version of me. The person you once knew was shattered, and this version of me is just the result of that. I like the idea that you still know me as I used to be. And once you really see me, well, that goes away. The damaged and battered person that I am will replace the woman you've loved all these years, and I guess that I'm just scared that I won't be enough. That I won't be able to live up to the person you have thought that I am. So, I haven't wanted you to see me, because right now the illusion is better than the reality."

Callie pulled her hands away so she could stroke a porcelain cheek. "You know, you're partially right. I have had an image of you in my head all this time." She saw Arizona's face fall, and she continued to caress her face. "But, the woman in front of me now continuously exceeds that. I've always thought of you as the girl I knew in college, but as I get to know you now, I want you so much more. I don't long for the girl from our past, I long for who you are at this moment in time. All of you."

"Really?"

"Of course! I have my own baggage and parts of me that have been damaged since you knew me last, and you still want me, right?" she asked. Arizona nodded, and Callie grinned. "So, I feel the same about you. I think you are incredible and amazing and beautiful, and I'm always going to see you that way."

Arizona paused before covering Callie's hand with her own. "Since the accident, every time I've looked in the mirror, I've hated what I saw. I've seen someone shattered and worthless. And I'm still trying work through that. The idea that someone sees anything else boggles my mind."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then believe me when I say: all I see is the most magnificent woman in the world. Scars and all." Callie ran her fingers down Arizona's neck until her hand rested upon her chest. "I love you, Arizona. I love everything about you, and I always have. I'm falling in love with you all over again and it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I want your heart forever, and I want to give you mine. And I hope you feel the same."

"Oh, God, I do," Arizona told her, reaching out and placing her hand over Callie's heart. "My heart will always belong to you no matter what. And I want to fully give myself to you."

She fully kissed Callie, a deep and passionate gesture that connected them fully. "We don't have to do this, Arizona. Not if you're not ready," Callie muttered into her lips.

"I'm still afraid. But you make me so much braver. And more than anything, I want to move on and look to the future. So let's do that, okay?"

"Okay," Callie said, kissing her fully. "Only if you're sure."

"I've always been sure of you, Calliope." The blonde moved closer, so their bodies were practically glued together. "And I always want to be."

Arizona surprised her by grasping the edges of her robe and pulling them completely against one another. Though Callie was an eager participant, she relinquished all her control over to the other woman. She wanted Arizona to lead, and she would follow.

After caressing one another with their lips over and over, Arizona slipped the robe off of Callie's shoulders, leaving her once again fully exposed. Callie made no move to do the same, as Arizona needed to reveal herself bit by bit as she gained that courage.

Everything she had said had made complete sense. Their relationship was different than anything else, and Callie understood why Arizona was struggling. Though it broke her heart that they even existed, she could sympathize with the insecurities that the blonde felt and how she saw herself. Callie hoped that eventually she wouldn't be a reminder of the life Arizona used to have. She hoped that she could show her that she didn't see someone broken, when, in fact, she saw a remarkable woman who was strong and a survivor. This was just a hurdle they had to jump, and she respected that this physical intimacy wasn't an easy step for Arizona to take, no matter how much she wanted to.

Her body draped across Arizona's, and her lips lightly sucked on every bare stretch of skin she could find. She started to pull back the collar of the robe, her eyes searching blue for approval. "Is this okay?"

"Keep going. Leap of faith, remember?"

"Stop me if it's too much, okay?"

"I will. I trust you."

Callie's fingers found the knot holding the robe closed, and she gently unwound it. The fabric slowly fell away from an alabaster body, exposing Arizona for the first time since they had been reunited.

Chocolate eyes scanned across smooth skin, drinking in every ounce of the woman before her. Arizona had been beautiful in their youth, and that hadn't changed. The sight in front of her was alluring and gorgeous, and she couldn't get enough.

"Arizona," she breathed as she ran her hands along the naked skin of her lover. "You are sensational." She let her eyes scan the length of Arizona's body before locking her gaze with the blonde's. She rocked forward and pressed their foreheads together, aching for absolute closeness. "You are the most beautiful woman in the entire world. You always have been, and you always will be."

Her palm snaked down a thigh, lightly gripping the tight muscle right above the firm plastic of Arizona's leg. Callie's fingertips lovingly stroked the area, and she shifted her weight to the side so Arizona could properly begin the doffing process.

Pale hands worked slowly, and Callie could practically feel the anxiety radiating off of the other woman. Though the prosthetic didn't bother her in the slightest, in fact, she noticed that it was a model she was rather fascinated by, she knew how Arizona felt about it. There was no way that this was an easy process.

As Arizona freed her shortened limb from the artificial leg, she carefully moved it off of the bed, balancing it against the nightstand. Callie slowly moved her hand further down, her digits a mere inch away from the faded but still notable scar.

"This is me," Arizona quietly said.

Callie ran her thumb across the raised skin, tracing the scar that had changed Arizona's life completely. "This is you." She flicked her eyes up from the limb, noticing that blue orbs were clouded with unshed tears. She cupped the blonde's face and pulled her closer. "This is you, Arizona, and you are so, so, beautiful."

"Really?"

"Absolutely." Callie leaned forward and lightly kissed Arizona. It was a soft kiss, but was loving and intimate, and only made her feel closer to this woman.

She felt hands wrap around her body, pressing them further together. "I love you, Calliope."

"I love you too." Callie kissed her fully, parting pink lips to give herself more access. "And I fully intend to show you just how much."

She tangled her hands within golden locks, deepening their kiss even further. She nudged her thigh between Arizona's legs, inching them apart so she could grind against her mound. Arizona let out a moan of content, shifting to create more friction.

Callie slipped her hand between their bodies, rolling perky nipples under her thumb before stroking a pale stomach. She caressed Arizona's abdomen and slowly ran a finger through soft curls in search of an aroused nub. Her finger circled it momentarily, and she reveled in the pleasurable sigh that escaped from her lover. She could feel Arizona's grip tighten on her back, and she didn't doubt that several crescent fingernail marks would be scattered along her skin in the morning.

Her mouth moved to Arizona's pulse point at the base of her neck. She lightly nipped at the skin, immediately soothing it with a slow kiss. The fingertip positioned at her lover's entrance found a slow and steady rhythm as it traced and massaged tender lips. Heat from their bodies circled between them, and Callie felt a light sheen of perspiration coat their skin. The more they kissed and moved against one another, the more she wanted Arizona, and she wished that this feeling would never cease.

She felt one of Arizona's hands trace her curves until her own wet and awaiting center was cupped. Callie groaned with pleasure, and she grinded against a palm as she guided two fingers into the opening she had been teasing.

"God, Callie, don't stop."

Callie pulled one of Arizona's earlobes between her teeth, sucking on it hard before movie her mouth near her ear. "I want you so fucking bad."

"Then have me," Arizona breathed, slipping two of her fingers into Callie's opening.

She gasped at the contact, curling her fingers to brush the spot on Arizona's walls that always drove her crazy. And, as it turned out, it still did.

Arizona mimicked Callie's actions, and the two of them meticulously drove each other closer and closer to the edge. Though so much had changed, their knowledge and mastery of one another's bodies had not faded. They each used muscle memory to ignite pleasure within one another while also learning new techniques and evaluating what could be done further to trigger pure ecstasy. It was the perfect combination.

She was merciless in her ministrations. Her fingers worked tirelessly, teasing her lover in countless ways. That had always been part of their fun, and she enjoyed it just as much now. Bringing each other close to climax and then pulling back only helped a truly mind blowing orgasm form, and she hoped that they would each hit that peak tonight. As her thumb circled a bundle of nerves at a steady pace, she could feel Arizona's own fingers gliding in and out of her core.

"Are you close?" she asked, her tongue flicking an earlobe as her free hand rolled a perked nipple between her fingers.

Arizona nodded. "You?"

"God, yes." Callie withdrew her hand, noting the immediate pout that formed upon pink lips. "I want to feel you against me when I come, Arizona. I want to feel your center on mine as you come. I want to share that with you."

The blonde gave her answer by grasping Callie's cheeks and roughly and passionately kissing her. A clear and resounding yes.

The two women masterfully wove their limbs together, Callie being careful to position Arizona's leg as comfortably as she could. This position had been their favorite in the past, and they fell back into it with ease and desire. She moved a hand between them, parting their folds until two aroused and eager bundles of nerves rested against one another. Once their centers touched, each of them let out a soft and pleasurable moan.

"Fuck, yes." Arizona thrusted her hips upward as Callie grinded down, creating a perfect and intoxicating friction between them.

Callie rested her forehead against Arizona's as she threaded their fingers together. Their slick and hot bodies meshed against one another, and she could no longer tell where she began and the other woman ended. They were joined fully together as one, where they properly belonged.

"I love you," she murmured as she moved in a steady rhythm. "I have always loved you."

She could feel her climax steadily approaching. The heat at her core built with every move she made and every caress she received from Arizona. The need that existed within her was maddening, and she physically ached to feel a release. No other lover brought her as much pleasure or made her feel as much passion as Arizona did. There was no one else in the world who she loved with every fiber of her being, and no one else that made her feel so loved. Even after years apart, she still knew with an unrelenting certainty that they belonged together. Arizona always had been, and always would be, her soulmate. And she never wanted to be without her again.

"Oh, God. Calliope, I love you too," Arizona told her through a pleasurable sigh, and for some reason, those words were all she needed to be pushed over the edge.

Fireworks exploded throughout her entire body, and she could feel her limbs shaking as she tightly gripped the blonde. As she quaked from ecstasy, she heard her lover moan, only to feel a warm release from the other woman. Their wet centers pushed against each other, building up the orgasms even more to the point that it was mind blowing, earth shattering, and all around fucking incredible.

Callie wasn't sure how long it lasted. It felt like she floated up out of her body, and the only thing consuming her was unrelenting pleasure and pure adoration for Arizona. There was nothing else in the world that mattered, nothing else that existed in this moment. Just the two women and the connection of their bodies. It was everything.

When she finally drifted back to earth, and her thundering heart began to slow, Callie opened her eyes. She lay draped across an alabaster body, and Arizona's chest was heaving as her face displayed euphoria. It was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen.

Her hand moved to cup Arizona's face, and after she stroked a smooth cheek, she carefully tucked blonde strands of hair behind an ear. Blue eyes flickered open, and Callie felt her face split into a grin.

"Hey, you."

"Well, that was fucking amazing." Arizona's fingers ran up and down Callie's back as she nuzzled their noses together.

"That's an understatement." Callie slowly kissed a pale shoulder, her mouth moving up Arizona's neck until she captured perfect pink lips with her own. "God, I missed you."

Arizona played with a black curl. "I've missed you too. More than you could ever know," she said. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being you. Loving me. Making me feel so goddamn safe. Giving me a reason to feel whole again."

Callie kissed her hard before pulling away. "Neither of us were broken people. But we were missing something. And now that we are together, we are both whole again. And I intended to stay that way."

"Me too, Calliope. Me too."

 **Here's the next installment. I apologize for the wait, especially after leaving the last chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger. Life has been a little hectic lately, but I am still determined to write this story. Just know that I haven't given up, and I won't abandon this story! Writing is a passion of mine, and something I'll never stop doing.**

 **Thank you for all the love and support for this story! It truly keeps me going. I can't promise when another update will be, but all the follows, favorites, and reviews give me so much motivation to work even harder. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

It was no secret that the beds in on-call rooms were nothing special. They were small, with subpar mattresses and often itchy blankets. And yet, in a pinch, they were heavenly.

Still, two adult women in a twin bed was the definition of cramped.

Arizona frantically rolled down Callie's scrub bottoms, carefully adjusting herself so she wouldn't fall off the mattress during her ministrations. She kissed every available inch of skin, sucking hard on it as she worked her way down a writhing torso. Caramel fingers looped through her hair, pulling out the braids she had woven earlier that morning. Her lips slipped down to Callie's center, lightly kissing along the opening as her lover gasped.

"Oh, God, don't stop."

She hooked Callie's legs over her shoulders and dove back in. As she had been coming out of a surgery, she had passed Callie in the hallway, and the overwhelming need that passed through her had driven her actions. Without any thought, she had pulled her girlfriend into the nearest available room to properly ravish the intoxicating body that she couldn't get out of her head. As they had quickly become adjusted to having sex again, Callie was just as eager as she was.

Just as her tongue picked up a steady rhythm, causing low moans to flow from the other woman, the door to the on-call room flung open, shining an unwelcome light across them.

"Good hell!" Addison exclaimed as she whipped around. "Can you guys not keep it in your pants for more than two seconds?"

Arizona quickly pulled Callie's pants and underwear back up before wiping her face. "I thought it was locked!"

Callie sheepishly adjusted her scrub top. "That one's on me. I forgot. Sorry babe," she apologized.

"Regardless, it's the middle of the day, not the time for quickies. You two need to get your libidos back under control. Are you two decent again?" After hearing affirmative answers, she turned towards them with a slight scowl.

She shook out her braids and combed through her blonde hair with her fingertips. "Oh, Addison, you're just mad because you're not getting any. Once you're actively having sex again you won't be so grumpy."

Addison folded her arms and shrugged. "Perhaps." She turned towards Arizona. "We have an attendings' meeting in five. In case...you know...you forgot while preoccupied with fellatio."

Arizona straightened out her top and slipped her discarded coat on, passing Callie's to her. "I didn't forget. I'm just very good at fitting extra things into my schedule." She sat back down next to Callie, tucking some loose strands of ebony locks behind her ear. "We can finish this later."

Callie leaned forward, kissing her deeply. "We better. Love you."

"Love you too." Arizona stood to exit, throwing a wink back at the brunette before following Addison out into the hallway.

They swiftly walked towards the conference room, Arizona walking with an extra skip in her step. Though her actions had been interrupted, just getting to caress and kiss Callie recharged her more than anything else in the world.

"You two are out of control."

Arizona shrugged as she glanced at her friend. "That may be, but I absolutely do not care. Have you seen Callie? She's a fucking goddess! Of course I can't control myself around her."

"Still. I've never seen people more all over one another, and I work here, the horniest hospital on the West coast," Addison stated.

"I'm not going to apologize. The past month has been incredible. And while I missed everything about Callie, holy shit, I forgot just how mind blowing the sex with her is. Addison, you have no idea," Arizona told her.

"I have a pretty good one. I saw more in there than I ever cared to."

"We will get you laid again. Then you won't be so grumpy and jealous."

"What's Addison grumpy and jealous about now?" Teddy asked as she joined them from around the corner. She quickened her pace to keep up with the other two women, already eagerly involved in their conversation.

"She's still not getting any," Arizona said.

Teddy exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. "I've been trying to get her to sign up for those dating sites with me. She's too stubborn! And you've been no help lately since you barely even live at home anymore."

Arizona smirked at the statement, as it was absolutely true. Though she still made time for her friends and was quickly connecting with a lot of people in Seattle, she spent more time with Callie than anyone else. They had behaved the same way while they were in school together, and it felt nice to slip into that rhythm again.

They came to the conference room door, filing in along with the other attendings. Richard Webber stood at the front of the room, files in his hands and his spectacles balanced on the tip of his nose. Arizona found a seat next to Owen Hunt, with Addison and Teddy sliding into the seats on the left and behind her. She caught bits and pieces of chatter as everyone settled in, but once the door clicked behind them, Webber cleared his throat.

"Alright, this should be everyone. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet together," he stated.

Addison leaned over. "Taking the time out of your busy oral schedule," she muttered, earning a smack on her thigh under the table from Arizona.

"I've met with the board extensively, and we've discussed numerous changes that the hospital can make to become more productive, efficient, and the best medical facility that we can be. I want to start off by saying that I am incredibly proud of the team of doctors I get to lead, and that I am certain that Seattle Grace has some of the best medical minds. So thank you all for everything you do." He cleared his throat again and set his papers down. "I want you all to know that no decision was made lightly. But, after much deliberation, it has been decided that Seattle Grace and Mercy West will officially be merging."

Voices sprang up around the room, everyone trying to state their concern for this decision. Tension rippled across the room, and Arizona felt it as well.

It was no surprise that she had felt instant anxiety over this merger. She was one of the newer attendings, and still had a lot to prove. Though she knew that she had earned this job, she was still only in the beginning stages, and she hadn't established her career here yet. If any surgeons were going to get cut, she felt that she was one of the first that would be led to the chopping block.

"Now, now, everyone, settle down," Webber called. "I know that this is a big change for all of us. But, as attendings, I fully expect that you will be leaders throughout this transition. There are going to be cuts and staffing changes as we work to join the two hospitals together, and I am relying on all of you to help make this adjustment as smooth as possible."

Webber droned on about budgets and programs for a while, but Arizona only half listened. Her mind was jumping to a million places. She constantly pondered where things would head and how the hospital would be shaken up. This wouldn't be easy, not for anyone. But, she also couldn't get Callie out of her head. She was getting ready to take her boards, and then she was interviewing for an Ortho attending position here. However, with two hospitals becoming one, the number of open jobs would slim, and though Callie was an extraordinary surgeon, things just got all the more difficult.

As the meeting concluded, Webber giving them strict orders not to talk about the merger with anyone else, Arizona felt a weight on her shoulders. It was difficult feeling so anxious and worried, and it was even worse that she was unable to talk to Callie about any of it.

She went about the motions of her day, her mind constantly revolving about all of the worst possible outcomes of the merger. She didn't know much about the other hospital, but she didn't doubt that they had their own fantastic surgeons that would make every day even more competitive than it already was.

Once her day concluded, Arizona changed into a blouse and jeans and headed towards Joe's. The bar was already crowded when she arrived, but she found an empty stool and took a seat. After ordering a martini, it was a day for stiff alcohol, she chatted with the nurse beside her until she felt two strong arms wrap around her torso.

"Hey, you," Callie whispered as she rested her chin on Arizona's shoulder. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I know, especially since I received a mysterious text informing me that I was needed at the bar. Must be fate."

Callie leaned against the bar, stealing Arizona's glass for a moment to take a sip. "Hard liquor. What's the occasion?"

She sighed. "Just a rough day."

"Want to talk about it?"

Of course she did. But she couldn't say a word. "Not tonight. Let's push it aside. Things are better now that you're here."

"As it should be," Callie stated with an alluring smirk. Her hand slid down Arizona's arm, linking their fingers together. "Wanna get out of here? I know I said we should go out for drinks, but I can't help but think that I would rather be eating pizza in bed with you instead of hanging around in an overly crowded bar."

"Are you asking me to come home with you, Calliope?"

"Don't I always?"

"Fair." Arizona tossed the rest of her drink back and pulled her coat around her as she stood. She quickly paid her tab and looped her arm with Callie's, letting the Latina lead her out. Just as they were getting ready to open the door, their path was blocked by Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey.

Callie's face instantly lit up and her mouth morphed into a grin. Before she could say anything, Mark turned to Lexie. "Why don't you grab us a table and I'll go get some drinks."

"Mark!" Callie squealed as soon as Little Grey walked away. "I thought you were waiting to ask Lexie out?"

He ran his fingers through his hair as he shrugged. "Well, I got to thinking, maybe if two people are meant to be, then timing shouldn't really matter. I figured that I should just go for it and see what happens."

"What gave you that idea?"

He gave them a sheepish look. "If I'm being honest...you two. You kind of made me see that some people are just supposed to be together, and I feel like that could be me and Lexie." He didn't even give them a chance to respond. "Now, I'm going back to my date before I either say something cheesy or Torres makes a fool out of me by being too enthusiastic about my love life. Have a good one, ladies."

Callie watched him walk away, and Arizona loved the adoration on her face. Her girlfriend was a truly amazing friend, and she knew how much she cared about Mark. Further, it felt pretty good to be a model couple for other people. It was already worth it to be together, but Arizona loved the idea that they were inspiring others.

They walked home hand in hand, each of them discussing the various happenings of their days, Arizona careful to leave out the tremendous secret that she now possessed. Once through Callie's front door, they shed their coats and settled in, the brunette ordering them food while Arizona wandered back towards the bathroom.

She turned the water of the shower on, letting it steam up the room as she peeled her clothes off. Once undressed, she carefully removed her leg and climbed under the hot water, once again noting the stool and railings that Calliope had installed shortly after she began staying the night. It had taken Lauren months to fit her shower for Arizona's needs, but Callie had done it in roughly a week. It was fairly obvious who the blonde was meant to be with, and she'd never regret that choice.

Arizona lost track of time as she stood under the soothing drops that steadily pounded against her skin. She let her mind clear, all thoughts and worries washing away as she cleansed her body of the dirt and grime that had gathered throughout the day. Her focus was so locked on lathering her hair that she barely registered the door opening and closing. She did, however, note the presence that slipped beneath the water with her.

"Mind some company?" Callie murmured as Arizona began rinsing her hair.

"Not at all."

Callie picked up a loofah and began gently scrubbing Arizona's back. "Are you alright? It seems like you have a lot on your mind today."

Arizona sighed. "I've just been thinking a lot." She closed her eyes, attempting to focus on the feeling of her lover delicately washing her. However, there was a question that had been rolling around in her mind throughout the day. "Callie, can I ask you something?"

"Always."

"What's going to happen if you leave Seattle Grace for an attending position? I just know that you've applied for a lot, and I have been thinking about the possibility of us not working together anymore."

Callie's actions paused for a moment, then resumed once she cleared her throat. "Well," she started, "Seattle Grace is my first choice. It has been since I started my residency, and more so now that you're here. But, I have applied for a lot of openings, because I'm interested in what people are willing to offer me. I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know that when it comes time to make a decision, you'll be the first person I consult."

"I didn't know that I got a say in your future," Arizona stated.

"Well, of course you do!" Callie exclaimed. "You're my girlfriend, and we are in this together. You absolutely get a say."

"If that's the case..." Arizona took a deep breath, "...then I am not interested in doing any long distance of any kind. I'll go wherever you go. That's my say."

She turned around, only to find the megawatt smile that she loved so much staring back at her. "Good," Callie said. "I'm not interested in any long distance either." She slipped her arms around a pale waist as Arizona's hands moved to rest at the base of Callie's neck. "Can I ask, where did all this come from? Why was this on your mind?"

"Just, watching you study for your boards has gotten me thinking about it, that's all." A simple white lie, and yet, Arizona felt incredibly guilty. Though she was sworn to secrecy, she still longed to share everything with the woman in front of her.

"You don't have to worry. We are a package deal, you and me." Callie pecked both of her cheeks and her forehead before moving to wash Arizona's front. "And don't worry, I'll never work anywhere that doesn't have a kickass Peds department for my kickass surgeon girlfriend."

"Damn straight. And I'll never work anywhere without a kickass Ortho program for _my_ kickass surgeon girlfriend."

"Glad we are on the same page," Callie told her as she finished with the loofah. "Now, rinse off and come to bed. Once we eat I fully intend to ravish every single inch of you."

Arizona raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Hell fucking yes," Callie murmured before kissing Arizona fully on the lips. "Don't make me wait too long, you know I get impatient."

"That you do," Arizona said with a chuckle as Callie exited the shower. She kept her eyes trained on her girlfriend, the anxiety she had been feeling definitely eased. Though she still wished that she could be honest about the merger, and she hated keeping that from Callie, she felt much more confident about it. Because, no matter what, she and Callie were going to be together. They always would be.

 **Here's another chapter! It may be a little bit of a filler, but I promise that I am setting up some big things. Stay tuned!**

 **Thanks again for reading. You all are the best readers that a writer could ask for!**


	13. Chapter 13

Callie smoothed out the fabric of her pencil skirt as she nervously tapped her heeled foot. The chair she had taken residence in was stiff and uncomfortable, and she constantly fidgeted. The hallway she sat in was lined with numerous rooms, and countless doctors sat outside the doors, anxiously awaiting for their names to be called. Though she had been preparing for this day since she started her residency, and she had been studying relentlessly for months, her boards exams were no less intimidating.

Her fingers slipped to her neck, rubbing the silver pendant tucked underneath her blouse. Arizona has told her to use it as a sort of good luck charm and a way to calm her nerves. And it worked. Whenever she felt her stomach twist, she pictured Arizona next to her, squeezing her hand and telling her that she was absolutely incredible. She needed that now.

Even though she was confident in her abilities as a surgeon, Callie couldn't help but wonder if she was truly prepared. There were a few patients that she should have looked over again, a few procedures that she should have practiced and reviewed, and just a million pieces of information that she should have prioritized more than she had. She could not afford to fuck this up, not after all the work she had put into this career.

"Good luck, Torres."

Callie snapped out of her thoughts to meet the smile of the petite coworker in front of her. "And to you, Bailey."

"Nervous?" she asked as she took her own seat.

Callie gave a half laugh. "That's the understatement of the century. You?"

"I don't like being nervous. It's a sign of weakness. And Dr. Bailey is not weak. And neither are you, Torres."

Callie gave her friend a smile, which was returned. They sat in silence, and Callie continued to run through various medical procedures in her head as she prepared for the upcoming somewhat life changing certification she was about to test for.

The hotel room door next to her cracked open, and an older woman in a sophisticated suit stepped out. "Calliope Torres," she announced.

She stood, her stomach a knot of nerves. Callie quickly smoothed put a wrinkle from her skirt, nodding at Bailey before following the other woman into the room.

A chair was set up in the middle of the room, with three surgeons sitting across from it, their laps filled with papers. She swiftly took her seat after shaking hands with the Ortho surgeons who would determine whether or not she was as much of a badass as she considered herself to be.

"Dr. Torres," one of them started, "shall we begin?"

"Let's do this," she said, willing herself to go above and beyond.

* * *

 _Callie ran through the rain, her notebooks clutched tight to her chest. The dorm building in front of her seemed a mile away, and every step she took felt like a million miles. Once she reached the door, she fumbled with her keys, dropping them into a puddle at her feet._

 _"Fuck," she muttered under her breath as she knelt, dropping her notebooks and papers into the water at her feet. "GodDAMN it!"_

 _"Rough day?"_

 _She glanced up, noticing Izzy Stevens crouched next to her. She was actively gathering up Callie's things, passing them to her before unlocking the door._

 _"You can say that again." Callie hurried through the door, shaking off as soon as she reached the dry and warm atmosphere. "Thank you."_

 _"No problem. Happy I can help."_

 _Callie began shifting through her papers, noticing that many were damaged beyond repair, especially one of the letters she had written the past few weeks. "No, no no no no," she whispered as her fingers tore the damp paper she held. "That's just great. Perfect. Completely fucking wonderful."_

 _"Are you okay?" Izzy asked as she wrung out her dripping hair. "Sorry to ask, but it seems that things have been pretty shitty lately."_

 _"That's an understatement."_

 _"Want to talk about it?"_

 _Callie rolled her eyes with a huff. "Why? We aren't friends, Izzy. We never have been. Why do you care if things have been shitty for me?"_

 _Izzy folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not pretending to be friends with you. But, you seem to forget that I was Arizona's roommate, and I know that you guys were close. And I've noticed that she's gone without a word and I can't imagine that was easy."_

 _"Yeah. She's gone. And it sucks. What do you think you can do about it?"_

 _"I don't know. Maybe you could use a friend? And maybe, just maybe, that friend could be me."_

 _Callie nodded. "And how do you think we are going to become friends? I have absolutely no interest in spending any time with anyone but Arizona, and as you can see, that's pretty fucking difficult at the moment." She saw Izzy's face fall, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm really not in a good place right now. I shouldn't be lashing out at you, but I just don't know what to do with myself anymore."_

 _Izzy nodded before giving her a half smile. "Well, lucky for us, there's a kitchen in our building. And, even though it takes like cardboard, the hot chocolate is warm and running 24 hours. Let's go grab a cup and talk for a bit."_

 _If anyone had told her that she would be hanging out with Izzy Stevens one day, Callie would have called them crazy. She had lived across the hall from the woman for months, and never once had engaged in a full conversation with her. And yet, she found herself following Izzy into their dining room and snagging hot chocolate._

 _"You're right, this really is awful," Callie stated after taking her first sip. "Remind me why we are drinking this?"_

 _"Because the coffee is even worse."_

 _"Touché."_

 _They sat in silence for a moment before Izzy spoke up. "So, what happened with Arizona?"_

 _"Jumping right into things, aren't we?"_

 _She shrugged. "Would you rather uncomfortably small talk?"_

 _Callie sighed. "No." She ran her finger around the rim of her cup, collecting her thoughts. She hadn't told anyone about Arizona, so she hadn't really gotten anything off her chest about what had happened. "She's gone."_

 _"Did she say why?"_

 _"She didn't say anything. After we said goodbye at the airport, she disappeared. Not a word, letter, anything. I tried calling, sending letters, and doing pretty much anything that I could think of. Not only did she not respond, but she never came back." Callie felt tears gather in her eyes, and she quickly brushed her cheeks. "The thing is, we promised each other forever, and now she's gone. So I don't really know what to do anymore."_

 _"Wow, that sucks," Izzy replied._

 _Callie clenched her jaw. "Really? You drug me all the way down here just to tell me how sucky things have been? Believe me, I know that it sucks. I'm living it right now." She stood up, slipping her discarded coat back on. "I'm done here."_

 _Izzy stood up as well. "Callie, I didn't bring you here to solve all your problems. I brought you here so you could talk to someone. I've had time where I've kept everything bottled up inside before, and it just makes everything harder. If you really want to face this and figure out a way to move on with your life instead of dwelling on hardships, then you need to open up about it. That doesn't have to be me, but I'm willing to listen as long as you're willing to talk."_

 _Callie slowly sat down once more, taking a deep breath as she settled back down into her seat. As much as she hated opening up to people, and Izzy Stevens wasn't her first choice for someone that she wanted to share all of her feelings with, she couldn't help but feel like she did need to talk. She needed to open up, or she would never move on with her life._

 _And, more than anything, she wanted to prove to herself that she wasn't completely shattered by what had happened with Arizona. Maybe talking to Izzy was the first step in putting herself back together again._

* * *

Callie splashed some water on her face before carefully dabbing it dry. She had just completed her first round of her boards, and it had been brutal. While she was confident that she had passed, it still had truly tested her to the extent of her abilities, and this was only the beginning. She didn't know how much more she could take.

She ran her fingers through her hair, taking a deep breath and then exhaling. She needed to stay calm and to get out of her head or else she wouldn't excel. And she needed to be excellent. It was imperative that she prove to all of these people, and to herself, that she was the incredible surgeon that she had worked so hard to become.

She exited the bathroom and made her way back to her assigned room. Her fingers fidgeted as she walked, her nerves only heightened after experiencing the first round of testing.

Her fingers once again stroked the pendant around her neck, and she pictured Arizona walking beside her and giving her words of encouragement. It wasn't that she doubted herself, because she was well aware that she was an incredible doctor, but it was always nice when her girlfriend confirmed those things for her.

The time of her break quickly was used up, and she felt herself seated in front of her personal panel of doctors once again. She took a single gulp of water, and as soon as they detailed the scenario she needed to address, she started talking.

* * *

 _Callie's eyes were wide open and staring at the ceiling as she tried to sleep. Light snores filled the room, and she glanced at the woman beside her. She should be relishing the closeness that they had shared, but instead, she wished she could hide._

 _She liked Erica, she did. They had met at a bar and hit it off, sharing numerous dates with one another. Though Callie typically stuck with men as of late, she couldn't deny her attraction to women as well, and she liked being involved with a female again. Though it did bring up a lot of memories from her past, she shoved them to the side._

 _Erica rolled over and looped her arm around Callie's waist, nuzzling her nose into her neck. It was too close and personal for Callie. They were moving too fast. She wasn't ready to have sex with Erica, but she had done it anyway, because she thought that she had to move things forward. Laying here now, if she shut her eyes, she pretended that a different blonde had her arms wrapped around her._

 _God, she tried not to think about Arizona, but she couldn't help it._

 _"You up?" Erica murmured, her breath running across Callie's skin._

 _"Yeah."_

 _"What're you thinking about?"_

 _"I don't know. You?"_

 _Erica hummed. "You. And how amazing you are."_

 _Callie felt her throat tighten as she desperately tried to think of a response. There wasn't anything that she could say to Erica that wouldn't be hurtful or a complete lie._

 _She couldn't do this anymore._

 _She waited until she heard consistent snores once more, then she slipped out of bed. Callie carefully dressed, making as little noise as possible. Once fully clothed, she found a scrap of paper, and she scribbled a quick note on it, resting it against the lamp on the nightstand. This was a low blow, and she knew it._

 _Looking back, she shouldn't have gotten involved with Erica at all. It was foolish, and she had played with her own emotions, and with someone else's. Maybe she was trying to prove to herself that she could be that person again. That she could date and fall in love with another woman once more. But, she'd only realized that this was the opposite of what she wanted._

 _There was only one woman in the world that she wanted to be with, and though it had been years since they had ended, and she was filled with so much anger and hatred, no one else could even attempt to fill the hole that Arizona had left in her heart._

* * *

"...then I would perform a double amputation to keep the crush injuries from spreading infections throughout the entire leg."

"Would you not attempt to salvage the bones in the leg? Would you so easily discard the limbs?"

Callie tapped her fingers on her knee. "Based on the bloodwork results, the heart condition of the patient, and the extent of the injuries, I do not believe that he would be able to sustain the complex and lengthy surgery that it would take to rebuild his bones. By the time reassembly occurred, infection would have spread far enough that we would be dealing with more than just injured limbs. Now, if he was healthy and young, and his blood condition wouldn't throw infected cells straight into his struggling heart, then we would have a different story."

The surgeons in front of her were quiet for a moment as they flipped through the file they held in their hands. One cleared their throat, glancing up at her. "Well, I think we have all we need, Dr. Torres. We will be in touch soon with your results."

Just like that, her boards were over. It felt unreal. After three sessions of demonstrating her medical knowledge and ability, they had ended, and she had no idea how she felt about that.

There was definitely some relief, but now she was filled with a new anxiety. Because now she was waiting to see if she had passed, and that was almost worse than the certification itself.

She made her way back to her personal room, quickly packing up her things and fishing her cell phone out of her bag. She had purposely turned it off and stowed it away, needing that distraction out of sight and out of mind. But, now that she had finished her boards, there was one person she had to talk to.

Luckily, Arizona picked up on the second ring. "Calliope! How'd it go?"

"Well, I'm a bundle of nerves and anxious about whether or not I passed. But I think I killed it. At least I felt like I knew what I was doing. Which hasn't always been the case."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Callie said as she made her way towards the exit of the hotel. "I guess throughout my life...a lot of the time I've been trying to prove things to myself. That I can handle hard things and put myself back together, that I can move on with my life, that I can just overall be who I want and love who I do. Like I've just always been trying to prove myself to myself. Does that make sense?"

"I think so."

"But, I'm realizing that I am more confident than I think. And that there are areas of my life that I don't have to prove anything, because I know what I'm doing. My work and my relationship with you." Callie grinned as she walked towards the bus that would take her back to Seattle. "With medicine, I am hardcore and brilliant. I'm a fucking great doctor. And though I'm nervous about my scores and whether or not I passed, I know that I did my best and that I did kick ass in there. And with you...well we've always been meant to be. We've always belonged together. I'm never trying to prove anything, because I don't have to. I'm happy with you and I'm who I want to be when I'm with you and I love you so damn much. I guess that I'm trying to say that right now I'm pretty happy with where I'm at, and the more I think about it, the more I know that I am worth this life. I deserve all this good. I don't need to prove that to anyone or myself."

Arizona was silent for a moment for she spoke up. "Have I told you lately that I absolutely love and adore you, Calliope?"

"Yes, but I never tire of hearing it."

"Well, I'm so in love with you. And I'm so happy for you and so proud of you. You have nothing to prove to anyone. You're Calliope fucking Torres, and you're a badass, brilliant, beautiful, intelligent, hardcore, and incredible goddess. I am so amazed by you."

Callie found her seat, smiling into the phone. "God, I love you. Meet me at the hospital?"

"I'll be there as soon as you get home. See you soon."

She ended the call, noting that her anxiety was significantly lessened after talking to Arizona. Though she still was nervous, she was able to plug her headphones in and listen to her music throughout the ride home.

Before too long, the bus was pulling up in front of, as made official yesterday, Seattle Grace Mercy West. The other residents that had travelled to their boards with her left the bus, a steady stream of hopeful attendings. Though their boards were exhausting, there was an energy in the air, as they were expecting their results any minute.

Callie quickly found her favorite blonde waiting outside the bus, and she hurried into her arms. "Hey, you. I missed you."

Arizona kissed her cheek. "Missed you too. Can I buy you a drink while we wait for results?"

"You know you always can."

They headed to Joe's, the bar packed and full of life. Numerous residents gathered around with drinks in hand, no doubt using alcohol to distract from the fact that waiting for board results was excruciating. Arizona ordered two glasses of wine, and they found a small table at the back of the bar. Callie kept refreshing her email, her hopes crushed every time an empty inbox appeared.

"Stop. You're driving yourself crazy. You'll know when it gets here," Arizona told her as she grasped her hand.

Callie groaned as she laid her head down. "This is miserable. How did you do this?"

"With approximately the same amount of patience that you have right now."

At that moment, her phone beeped, and Callie's eyes grew wide. "Oh God, I don't know if I can do this."

Arizona gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm going to be right here the whole time. And we both know that you kicked some ass in there. So just rip the band aid off."

Callie opened up her email, taking a deep breath before reading the results on her phone. She was silent for a moment as her eyes scanned the screen. Once she had processed the information, she looked up to Arizona, beaming.

"I passed!"

"You passed?"

"I fucking passed!"

Arizona leapt from her seat, pulling Callie into her arms. "I am so unbelievably proud of you and happy for you," she whispered as she tightened her embrace. "Congratulations."

Callie squeezed her back, her heart overflowing with the amount of pride she felt for herself at the moment. And, being in Arizona's arms and celebrating this moment only made it better. She was on top of the world.

She had dealt with so much uncertainty throughout her life. There had been so many moments when she doubted who she was and what her place in the world was, but this was not one of those times. She had passed her boards. She had proven triumphant and successful in this endeavor. She was going to become a board certified attending Orthopedic surgeon, and that had been her aspiration and dream for as long as she could remember. Plus, it was all happening with the love of her life by her side, and she couldn't ask for more.

She pulled back, grasping Arizona's face in her hands and kissing her fully. Callie pulled as much love and hope for the future into the gesture that she could, and she felt the same coming from the other woman. It was magical.

"Let's get out of here," she said, nodding towards the door. Arizona eagerly nodded, hurriedly following her out of the bar.

Bailey stopped them on their way out. "How'd you do, Torres?"

"I passed. You?"

"I passed as well. I look forward to working with you as an attending, Torres."

Callie grinned at her friend and colleague. "Same goes for you."

She pulled Arizona towards her apartment, an extra bounce in her step as she excitedly detailed all of the highlights of her boards examination. As she described how she epically saved the life of an admittedly fictional patient, she unlocked her door, her attention fully invested in the blonde on her arm and the story she was telling.

She should have been paying more attention before she excitedly kissed Arizona with her front door open wide, as her action was almost immediately halted by a surprised gasp.

"Calliope?"

With wide eyes and her blood running cold, Callie sounds towards the voice, her elated mood instantly crushed by the person standing in her living room and what he had just witnessed.

"Daddy?"

 **Here's the next installment! Hope you guys are ready for a little drama. Things can't stay easy for forever, right?**

 **Thanks again for staying so loyal to this story. I have the best readers in the world!**


	14. Chapter 14

Arizona had never met any of Callie's family. She didn't know much about them, just that they were rich, Latin, and very religious. Callie hadn't told her much about her family, and she hadn't pushed it. She knew that while her girlfriend loved her parents and sister greatly, she had a complicated relationship with them. Arizona trusted that, in time, she would learn more about the people that her wonderful Calliope came from.

It seemed that that was happening sooner rather than later.

"Daddy? What are you doing here?" Callie questioned, her voice high.

"I had business here and figured that, since you won't be home for Thanksgiving, I could come see you now. It's no crime to want to visit you, mija."

"True, but a little warning would be nice."

He crossed his arms and stared down Callie. "So you can hide whatever," he widely gestured in their direction, "this is from your father?"

Arizona stepped forward and extended her hand. "'This' has a name. Arizona Robbins." Maybe not the best introduction, but she wanted to try to break the tension that was steadily building in the room.

He pointedly did not shake her outstretched fingers, and instead shot her a glare. "I don't really care what your name is. What I care about is what the hell you are doing with my daughter."

Callie stepped in front of her, pointedly blocking Arizona from her father's view. "Do not speak to her like that. Whatever problems you have can be directed at me, Daddy."

After a quiet minute, he stared down his daughter. "¿Qué diablos está pasando aquí? ¿Qué crees que estás haciendo con esta mujer?"

"No es que sea de tu incumbencia, pero estoy saliendo con ella. La quiero, papá, y ella es parte de mi vida," Callie quickly shot back, her tone fiery.

Arizona immediately knew what they were doing. If they spoke in Spanish, then they could have a private conversation right in front of her. It was definitely smart, and it made her wish that she had paid better attention in the Spanish classes she took in high school. Her head whipped back and forth between the two people in a desperate attempt to follow what they were saying, as the words jumped from their tongues at an impressive speed.

"Se convierte en mi asunto cuando mi hija decide acostarse con otra mujer. ¿Olvidaste todo lo que tu madre y yo te enseñamos? ¿De verdad quieres pasar la eternidad en el infierno? Lo juro, no reconozco a la mujer delante de mí. Ella no es la hija que crié," her father yelled back, his eyes dark. He took a step forward and gestured between them once more. "Sea lo que sea esto, termina ahora. No tendré este pecado en mi familia."

Callie shook her head, her shoulders squared and her fists clenched. It looked like she was heading into battle. "Es mi vida. No tienes nada que decir sobre lo que hago y a quien amo."

"Si haces esta elección, perderás a tu familia, mija."

She stepped back and tightly grasped Arizona's hand. "Then so be it. I want nothing to do with you if that's how you feel. Get out," she told him, her tone leaving no room for debate. Arizona wasn't sure what her father had said, but apparently it was the final straw for Callie.

He shook his head as he moved towards the door. "You're making a big mistake, mija. Once I walk out this door there is no going back."

Callie squeezed her hand even tighter. "I've made my choice."

"That you have." He slammed the door behind him, leaving a silent and tense atmosphere in his absense.

Arizona tentatively looked up, noting that Callie's bottom lip was quivering. "What did he say?"

"Basically, he said that if I didn't end things with you, then I wouldn't have a family. So I ended things with him. I don't want anything to do with a father that wants to instantly condemn me before he can even comprehend how I feel."

"Calliope..." she whispered her heart breaking as she looked at the woman before her. She couldn't even comprehend what she had just done. "I never wanted you to choose me over your family."

She shook her head as she turned to face Arizona. "No. You are my family. You are who I belong with and who I am supposed to be with. My father will one day see that he made a big mistake turning his back on me because he is too prideful to accept that I can love you."

Arizona cupped a caramel cheek seeing that chocolate orbs were quickly filling with tears. "Still. You shouldn't ever have to choose. I'm so sorry, Calliope."

The other woman was momentarily silent before a steady stream of tears started trickling down her cheeks. "He's supposed to love me no matter what, you know? And he was so quick to condemn me to Hell and tell me that I was wrong and not a part of the family anymore. I've always known that this was something they were close minded about, but I never though my father would disown me without a second thought."

She pulled away from Arizona and moved to the couch, plopping down onto the cushions. Her hands moved to cover her face, and Arizona watched the woman she loved crumble right before her eyes. Sobs shook her shoulders and echoed throughout the room, and Arizona quickly took a seat next to her girlfriend. Her hands cradled Callie's face as she pressed her forehead against her temple.

"I'm so sorry, Calliope. I'm so sorry you're hurting," she murmured before pressing a long and gentle kiss against Callie's cheek. "I wish I could take it all away, I do."

"Arizona?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't leave me. Don't go."

"Shhh," she whispered, stroking the black curls that were draped across Callie's face. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

 _Arizona pulled her comforter around her head, blocking the sunlight from her face. She didn't know what time it was, just that it was too bright outside for her liking. Which was more annoying than anything._

 _There was a knock on her door, and she inwardly groaned. Her mother made a habit of checking on her far too often, when all Arizona wanted was peace and quiet. Well, she wanted more than that, but being crippled and confined to her bed made a lot of things rather difficult._

 _"Honey? Lunch is ready. Would you like to come eat with your father and me?" her mother asked through a crack in her door._

 _"No."_

 _"Are you sure? It would be good to get out of bed for a bit. Get up, stretch, see something other than the walls of this room."_

 _Arizona gritted her teeth, sitting up to glare at her mom. "Mother, I have no interest in getting up. And do you really think that I can actually get out of bed? Really? With this?!" she yelled as she ripped off her covers, revealing her bandaged stump of a leg. It was a sight that, even after a month of it being a part of her, she still refused to get used to and accept. Maybe it was her small way of protesting the current hell that was her life._

 _Her mother pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm trying, Arizona. I can't imagine what you're going through. But I am trying to help, and you won't get better if you don't do anything."_

 _"Maybe I don't want to get better. Did you ever think of that? Maybe I wish I was dead. I wish I had died just like Timmy!"_

 _"Don't say things like that, Arizona. Don't you ever say that."_

 _She scoffed. "I don't really care anymore." Arizona laid back down, once again pulling the blankets around her in a much needed cocoon. "Get out," she snarled._

 _After a moment, she heard her bedroom door click shut, and she released the tears that had been building up within her. She cried for a number of things. She cried for her brother, who she missed more than she could even begin to comprehend. She cried for her leg and how she was permanently disabled without anyone asking her about it. She cried for her parents, who she knew were grieving in their own way, but she hated them for wanting her to move forward through her agony. She cried for all the pain in her heart, the aching feeling that was so powerful and unrelenting that she sometimes forgot to breathe. And, she cried for her sweet Calliope, who was a world away and probably so heartbroken that she had disappeared. That hurt her so much, but not enough that she would reach out. No, she wanted to keep this all to herself. No one else should feel the intense agony that was her life now. Her parents already got the brunt of it, something she knew she would regret, and she would not submit Callie to this. She didn't even want to be with the shattered being that she was now._

 _She rolled over in bed, biting her lip at the sharp pains that shot down her leg. As a form of protest, she refused to take her painkillers, even though she knew it would help. Feeling pain in what was left in her leg helped her pretend that it wasn't gone._

 _After rifling through her beside table, she found a pad of paper and a pen. Arizona began scribbling on it, frantically getting her thoughts out. She had to get it out, she had to get everything out. She felt like she was about to explode. There was only one person she wanted to talk to right now, only one person who she felt like she could open up to, and she couldn't bear to burden her with this. So, she wrote to her._

My Calliope,

I'm dying inside. I hurt so much in so many ways. My body aches every second and it never stops. I can't think straight. I miss Tim so much it makes me want to scream. So much has gone wrong that it doesn't seem real. In one second I feel like I lost everything. I'm so broken and so beaten and I just want to die. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't feel like I can live anymore. Every second is progressively worse and I am just hoping every day that it will stop. But this is never going to end. Every morning I wake up Tim is still dead and my leg is still gone and I've still lost everything. And I miss you so much I want to scream. But I don't want you here because everything is so wrong and I can't let your goodness be destroyed by me. I don't have much left, but I do have the chance to spare you the hurt that I feel, and I intend to do that. I'm sorry.

Love always,

Your Arizona

 _She tossed the pen away from her, her eyes scanning the words she had written. Without even thinking, she held the paper in her hands and began shredding it, discarding the remains on the floor next to her. Writing that letter didn't help. It didn't ease of the pain that she felt._

 _Nothing could help her anymore. She was lost. And Arizona didn't know if she wanted to be found._

* * *

Arizona stood in Callie's kitchen, brewing a cup of coffee as she attempted to make breakfast. She was no artist when it came to cooking, but she was doing her best.

They had had a long night. She had consoled Callie the best that she could, but there still was only so much she could do and so much she could say. When someone's world fell apart around them, it was difficult for anyone to ease than pain. Arizona knew about that more than anyone.

She plated the eggs she had scrambled and poured a generous cup of coffee, bringing it into her grifriend's bedroom. Once she pushed the door open, she saw Callie sitting up in bed, chewing on her nails as she stared at her phone.

"What is it?"

Callie didn't even look up. "My bank account. He cleared out my fucking bank account."

"Really?" she questioned as she moved closer, setting the breakfast down on Callie's nightstand. Her girlfriend thrust the phone at her, pointing to the glaring zeros that covered the page. "Oh my god."

"I know he's mad and he cut me off, but Jesus Christ, who does this? He took everything from me."

Arizona sat down next to her, taking Callie's empty hand into her own. "It's gonna be okay. We will figure this out."

"How can you say that? Everything is falling apart around me! It's the farthest thing from okay." Callie tossed her phone away from her and collapsed back on the bed with a defeated sigh.

"Calliope?"

"What?"

She laid down next to her, her fingers pushing loose strands of hair out of Callie's face. "I don't know how you feel. I haven't been in this situation before. But I know how it feels to have your whole world crumble around you. Even though it got really dark for a while and I didn't have a lot of hope back then, I made it through. We are going to get through this, you and me, whatever it takes. Okay?"

Callie was silent for a moment before cupping Arizona's cheeks. "God, what did I do to deserve you?"

"That's the question I should be asking." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against Callie's before pulling back. "Now, eat your breakfast before it gets cold. I didn't slave away in the kitchen for nothing."

"When have you ever slaved away in the kitchen?" she asked with a laugh, her face already brightening.

She pressed her fingers over Callie's mouth. "Hush, you."

As she sat up and climbed out of bed, she threw a smile over her shoulder at her girlfriend. Once back in the kitchen, she pulled out her phone, scrolling through contacts before clicking on one. She held the phone up to her ear, letting it ring for a moment until she heard another voice.

"Zona? How are you?"

"Hi, Dad," she said, quickly checking to make sure that Callie wasn't listening in. "I need your help with something."

* * *

The sound of her heels clicking against the tiled floor echoed throughout the foyer of the hotel Arizona had just entered. After pulling a few strings, she had gotten a few hours off of work, and she intended to make this free time extra productive.

Her father, being a military man, had a few connections that she didn't use often. However, after explaining to him that she had to meet with someone as soon as possible, he had promptly ended the call, sending her an address less than a half an hour later. Sometimes it was nice to have a father that had access to a wealth of information.

She checked her watch, noting that the object of her mission would be here any minute.

Arizona strode up to the receptionist, pasting a stunning smile across her features. "Hello there!" she cheerfully greeted.

"How may I help you?" she asked as she glanced up from her computer screen.

"I'm looking for a Carlos Torres. I was told that he would be here today, but I'm afraid that I'm a bit lost and not entirely sure which conference room he has reserved."

"No matter! Let me check." Her fingertips clicked against the keys for a moment. "Yes. It looks like Mr. Torres has actually reserved the Roosevelt ballroom today. His conference is scheduled to disband in approximately ten minutes. Would you like to wait for him here in our lobby, or I can take you up to the ballroom now."

"If it's no trouble, I'd love to go to the ballroom."

"Not at all. Follow me."

The receptionist led her through the hallways, a complex maze that Arizona wasn't sure she could navigate on her own. She marveled at the luxurious makings of her surroundings. While Callie had mentioned that she came from wealth, and her father had stated that Carlos Torres was an esteemed businessman, Arizona was slowly realizing that the Torres family was richer than she could comprehend.

Which only infuriated her more. If Carlos has all the money in the world, the only reason he had cleared out Callie's account was out of pure spite.

As they arrived outside a massive set of double doors crafted from a beautiful cherry wood, the meeting that was being held ended, and a number of business moguls began to file out into the highway. She nodded at the receptionist before slipping past the others. Her eyes scanned the crowd, locking on a man that she had met so briefly, but who now was her entire focus.

Carlos was shaking hands with another clean cut businessman, and Arizona clenched her jaw as she stared at him. This man had crushed his daughter in under 24 hours, and the blonde was determined to make things as right as she could.

She snaked through the room until she was only a few feet away. As Carlos finished his current conversation, he turned towards the table behind him, and he finally saw her.

"What in God's name are you doing here, Ms. Robbins?"

"I'd like a moment of your time just to talk, Mr. Torres. Also, I must say, I'm impressed that you remembered my name, since our meeting was so brief."

He began shuffling papers into a briefcase. "I don't easily forget the names of people that drag my daughter into sin and eternal damnation," he stated as he shot her a scowl. "And, Ms. Robbins, I have absolutely no interest in speaking with you, so you can get out of my sight before I have security throw you out. Good day." Carlos slammed the lid shut, as if he was emphasizing the finality of their conversation.

"If you care about your daughter in any way, you should spare five minutes of your time to hear me out," she told him, holding her chin high with her hands on her hips.

Carlos stepped closer to her, narrowing his eyes. "You have no right to ever discuss with me about whether or not I care about my daughter. Who do you think you are?"

"I'm a woman that loves Calliope with all my heart and is trying to find a way to show her father that the love the two of us share is pure and true and the farthest thing from wrong." Normally, in a situation with an authority figure, this would be the time when she would start tearing up, but she held her ground. "You don't have to agree with everything that Callie does, but you should at least want to understand her life and the woman she is. And, forgive me Mr. Torres, but if you turn your back now without making any effort to meet Callie halfway, you will regret this for the rest of your life, and you will lose any shot at a chance for a relationship with your daughter. I can promise you that."

He took a deep breath. "Look, I don't know you well enough to talk about my daughter. This isn't a conversation we are going to have."

"You cut her out of your life without trying to understand who she is and how she's trying to live her life. If you're going to walk away, at least try to have the decency to listen to me for five minutes about Calliope."

Carlos set his briefcase down on a nearby table and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Fine. Five minutes. Nothing more."

Though she had come here on a specific mission, to talk with Carlos Torres, Arizona had never guessed that she would get this far. She didn't have a speech prepared, so she just started talking, and hoped that Callie's father would listen and take it to heart.

"Most people think that I'm named after the state, but I'm not. I'm named after the battleship. My grandfather was there during the Pearl Harbor bombing, and he saved nineteen men before he drowned." She paused and clasped her hands together in front of her. "My father spent his whole life trying to honor that. He raised my brother and me to be honorable, courageous, and to love our country and our family. He wanted us to be good men in a storm. And I have done my best to live up to that. I know that I am a good man in a storm, and I protect the things I love," she told him. Arizona took a deep breath before she was able to continue. "I've been through hell, Mr. Torres. I've experienced trumendous loss. I've lived my life as a lesbian, and let me tell you, though it's not ever something I would change about myself, it has not been the easiest road. I was in a car accident that killed my brother and caused me to lose one of my legs, leaving me crippled and devastated and nearly lost, and yet, I found a way to push through so I could manage to stand here today. You don't know me, and I don't expect you to want to, but I want you to know that throughout all the trials I have faced, I like to think that I continue to be a good man in a storm. And through it all, the one thing I have come to know with a true certainty is that I love your daughter. I will protect the things I love, I will forever do whatever I can to give Callie the best life I can. I know she doesn't need that from me, because she is strong, and smart, and kind, and wonderful, and exactly the woman that I think you raised her to be."

Silence hung between them as their eyes locked. Carlos cleared his throat as he pinched his brow. "Ms. Robbins, for the life of me, I can't figure out why you came all the way here just to make a speech about who you are and who my daughter is. What is the point of all this?"

"The point, sir, is that I need you to understand that Callie being with me doesn't change who she is as a person. And that our relationship means the world to the both of us, and we are both in it for the rest of our lives," she explained. "I wanted you to know this because, if I know Callie, she wants you to be a part of her life. I want that for her. I came here today to try to show you that you will miss out on her extraordinary life if you walk away. I don't want Callie to lose you, and I don't want you to lose her. I've lost family, Mr. Torres, and it's a pain I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

"I don't know what you want from me."

"I want you to consider changing your mind. You might not today, not tomorrow, maybe not for a while. But, I hope that one day you'll be able to bend on your beliefs for your daughter, because that's what parents do."

Arizona didn't wait for Carlos to respond. She had said what she needed to, and it was in his hands now. She hoped that he would make the right decision for Callie, but all she could do now was continue to be there for the love of her life.

She strode out with her head held high, knowing that today, she was a good man in a storm.

 **Here's the latest update. I hope that you all enjoy! I like to pull big things from the show while making them my own, so I hope you all enjoy my take on these interactions. I also hope that this chapter is worth the wait!**

 **Thank you for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting this story. I love all the feedback I get, and it's great to see so many people enjoying this little story of mine. You all are great!**


	15. Chapter 15

Callie buried her face into her pillow, willing herself to slip back into the slumber that she so desperately needed. She had been working more hours than usual, signing up for extra shifts in the ER each week. Though she was drained and exhausted, she kept telling herself that this was only while she was finishing her residency, and that things would change as soon as she got the attending position that she had been working for every day for five years.

Things hadn't been easy lately. She was stretched thin, there was no doubt about that. Having her father drain her bank accounts had put her in a bind that she had never experienced before. She had always been a hard worker, but this was the first time in her life that she was scraping by and living paycheck to paycheck. She was making it work, but it still sucked.

Luckily, Arizona had been there every step of the way, offering more help than she needed to. Callie didn't want to be solely supported by her girlfriend, but it was nice to have her there. And to get take out once in a while instead of having to eat PBJs at home.

She knew that she should get up and start her day, especially since she had a mountain of things to do, but she just didn't want to. Her bed was too warm and too comfy, making it almost the most alluring thing in the world.

The only thing better would be if a certain blonde was curled around her.

Arizona has taken off early today, and Callie has been slipping in an out of sleep ever since. She should have just gotten up, but at the time, being awake seemed like the worst idea in the world. However, the past few weeks had made it abundantly clear that she slept infinitely better when she shared a bed with her girlfriend. That had been the case in college, and it was just a true today.

"Hey, pretty lady," a voice called out from the doorway, stirring her farther into consciousness. It was perky and sing-songy, and Callie would have been annoyed if she didn't love Arizona so much. "Coffee, bagel, and a wake up call," she said. Callie opened one eye, noticing Arizona set down the food and beverage on the nightstand before pecking her on the forehead.

"You're much too happy in the mornings."

She grinned. "I've just had my caffeine fix already. Drink up, then get dressed. We've got plans!"

"What plans?" she groaned as she attempted to pull the covers over her head, her efforts only to be thwarted by Arizona climbing up next to her.

"Well, since it's the first day we've both consistently had off during the Christmas season, we've got plenty to do! Shopping, ice skating, cheesy movies with hot chocolate, the works! It's going to be great!"

Callie glanced at Arizona, raising her eyebrow. "Since when are you into Christmas festivities?"

The blonde grew quiet, and Callie saw a glimpse of sadness swim through her blue eyes. "You know...I usually hate this time of year. It reminds me too much of loss and hurt. But, I figured, since we are finally together, let's make some new memories. Let's make this a happy and special season." Arizona gave her a sad smile. "I don't know. I'm just trying. Not sure if it's working."

She slowly sat up, shifting in bed so she could properly face Arizona. Lately she had been thinking about the last holiday season they had spent together, and how in just a short amount of time the anniversary of Arizona's worst day would be upon them. She hadn't brought it up, as she didn't think that reminding her of a horrible chapter of her life was the best thing she could do for her girlfriend, but she saw an opportunity now to approach the topic.

"If that's what you need to be happy, then I will plaster a smile on my face an gladly participate in whatever festivities you have in store for us." Her caramel hand extended, lightly squeezing Arizona's fingers. "How have you been feeling lately? Do you want to talk about it?"

Alabaster digits squeezed her hand in return. "Mom called me the other day asking if I was coming home. I'm always torn. I like to go so I can visit Timmy, but my parents always tiptoe around everything and I hate it. I wish they wouldn't pretend that everything is okay when it never will fully be."

"Do you want to go home?"

Cerulean eyes flicked up. "I don't know if I have it in me this year," she stated.

"What if I went with you?"

Arizona froze before her eyes lit up. "Really? You'd want to come?"

Callie cupped her cheek, gently stroking her skin with the pad of her thumb. "I love you, Arizona. I want to spend Christmas with you. And, more than that, I'd love to meet your parents...and to visit your brother. If that's alright with you."

She was thrown off guard when Arizona lunged towards her, wrapping her arms around her neck as she pressed her lips fully against her. "Have I told you lately that I absolutely adore you?" she breathed into their kiss.

"Yes, but it's not something I mind hearing," Callie told her. She returned the kiss, rolling Arizona back onto her back and slipping her thigh between her thighs. "Do we have time?" she murmured as she moved her mouth to Arizona's neck.

"I'll move some things around," the blonde said, instantly moving against Callie.

She had to admit, there were definitely worse ways to start her day.

* * *

Callie gripped Arizona's hand tightly as they filed through the narrow walkway of the airplane. Their flight to Virginia had been long, and she had a definite ache in her neck from the awkward position she had tried to sleep in. Plus, her stomach was filled with masses of butterflies, as she didn't think she was truly prepared for what was ahead.

After discussing it at length, they had decided to go to Arizona's home for Christmas. It was a big step for them, and since she was still estranged from her own family, she was glad that she had the opportunity to have a meaningful holiday.

Still, she was nervous to finally meet Arizona's parents. Sure, she had thought about this moment years ago, but when Arizona left, she figured that this was something she'd never have to do. In this case, she was very glad that she was wrong.

Arizona must have been nervous as well, because she had been talking nonstop since their plane landed.

"-and you know I've told my mom bits and pieces because we try to talk a lot so she knows that we met in college but I didn't quite tell her that you were the person I was so in love with because I figured that was a conversation we could have in person but she's probably put things together and oh God she most likely will have countless questions but at least my dad won't talk much so there's something-"

Callie tugged her girlfriend's hand. "Babe. Stop. Breathe." She watched Arizona pause to quickly inhale and exhale. "I'm just as anxious as you are, but I think it'll be great. I wouldn't have come if I was worried. Okay? So try to take a chill pill before we see your parents, because they might think you've had a mental break."

Arizona momentarily closed her eyes and gave a quick nod before stepping off the plane, leading Callie along. "Okay. You're right."

"What was that?" Callie asked as she cupped her ear with a flourish. "Can you repeat that one more time?"

"You were right. Just don't let it go to your head."

They made their way through the crowded airport, finally finding baggage claim. As they rounded the corner, Callie noticed an older woman enthusiastically waving at them. She suspected it was Arizona's mother, which was only confirmed by the ear to ear grin that spread across the blonde's face.

"There's my Zona!" the woman exclaimed as she rushed towards them. Arizona dropped Callie's hand so she could be enveloped in her mother's arms.

"Hi, Momma. I've missed you." Her girlfriend looked unbelievably happy, and while it warmed Callie's heart, she felt the hole that her parents had created in her life. Arizona pulled away from her mom, only to pull her father into a tight hug. "Hi, Dad. It's so good to see you."

"You too, sweetheart," he stated. Callie couldn't help but wish that she could hug her own father just one more time, but that was quickly put out of her mind.

Arizona pulled away from her parents, grasping Callie's hand. "Mom, Dad, this is Calliope Torres, my girlfriend and the most incredible woman I have ever met. Callie, these are my parents, Barbara and Daniel."

Barbara quickly pulled Callie into an unexpected hug, giving her a tight squeeze. "It's so good to finally meet the infamous Callie! Our Arizona has talked about you pretty much nonstop lately."

She took a step back, giving Barbara a genuine smile. She could already feel so much love and warmth radiating off of Arizona's mother. "It's a privilege to meet you, Mrs. Robbins."

"Call me Barbara, please dear. No formalities necessary. From what I gather, you're on your way to becoming part of the family." She gave an exaggerated wink, and Callie noticed a deep red blush quickly spread across Arizona's cheeks.

Daniel stepped forward, extending his hand. "You can call me 'The Colonel', Ms. Torres."

Barbara swatted his shoulder. "That's enough, Daniel. Spare us the intimidating act, since we all are aware of how tough you are." She leaned towards Callie. "He's a big softie. He's just protective of our little girl. You'll wear him down," she whispered. She then clapped her hands together. "Now. Let's get going. I have a nice dinner prepared. All of Zona's favorites."

Arizona grasped Callie's hand. "You ready?"

"Always."

* * *

 _Callie pushed at her food, barely focusing on the meal in front of her. Her mind was miles away, fully occupied by the mystery disappearance of the love of her life._

 _She hadn't heard a word from Arizona in three days. And now, it was Christmas Eve, and she should be fully engaged in the festivities and the spirit of the holiday. Growing up, this was her favorite time of the year, but now, she was completely miserable._

 _"Mija, eat," her mother told her, giving her a pointed stare. Lucia was an accomplished cook who excelled in the kitchen, and not consuming the food she had slaved over was the ultimate sin._

 _She quickly shoveled a bite of turkey into her mouth, barely tasting it. "May I be excused? I'm not feeling well."_

 _"Is something the matter?" her father inquired._

 _"Stomachache. I just need to lie down for a bit."_

 _"You haven't felt well since you got home, Calliope. Maybe we should have you looked at."_

 _She shook her head. "I'm fine, Daddy. Don't worry about it." Callie pushed out of her seat, slipping out of the dining room. She knew that she should want to spend this time with her family, especially since she was going to school so far away, but she couldn't bear it. Every second home just reminded her that she was apart from Arizona, and that her girlfriend had vanished into thin air. During the few months that they had been together, the blonde had become her home and her safe haven, and now she felt so unbelievably empty._

 _Her bedroom awaited upstairs, and she retreated into her childhood sanctuary so she could properly sulk in private. She stripped off the jeans and sweater she had donned for dinner, promptly hopping into her pajamas, the only proper attire for enveloping herself beneath her covers._

 _Once fully burrowed under the duvet and surrounded by her multitude of pillows, she slipped her hand between her mattress and her wall, fishing out her journal from the only place it was truly safe. Callie grabbed a pen from her nightstand, and without thinking, she started writing yet another letter to Arizona._

 _Since she had arrived home, she had called about twenty times, written six letters the she was still getting the courage to mail, and desperately searched for Arizona on the internet for about 12 hours total. She was consumed with Arizona and reconnecting with her, and she was worried that she would never feel peace until she did._

 _There was a knock at her door, and she inwardly groaned. She was in no mood to deal with her family, and she just wanted to be left alone._

 _Her door creaked open, and her mattress sunk a bit as someone climbed into her bed. She felt a hand shake her shoulder. "Anybody in there?"_

 _"Go away, Aria."_

 _"No thank you." Her sister laid down next to her, shifting until she was comfortable. She could be Callie's twin, as they had matching eyes, skin, hair, and bone structure. Callie always loved looking like her sister, as Aria was gorgeous inside and out, and people flocked to her. Though Callie knew she was beautiful, she was a total geek, and didn't have as many friends. She had always looked up to her sister, and she clung to anything she said. Except now. She didn't want to talk to anyone. "What's going on with you?"_

 _"None of your business."_

 _She shrugged. "I'm officially making it my business. Talk to me."_

 _Callie grabbed one of her pillows, and pressed it over her face. "I'm in hell."_

 _"Let me guess: rough breakup? Who's the guy and what did he do? I've dated a lot of people, and I know the signs of someone in emotional turmoil. You haven't been yourself since you got home, and you've done nothing but mope around. I didn't even know you were seeing someone. So, tell me about him, and tell me what happened."_

 _She tossed the pillow to the side, then looked up to the ceiling so she could avoid Aria's eye contact. "Her."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Her. Not him. It's a girl."_

 _Aria sat up. "Listen to me, Calliope. I love you so much. You know that. But, it's also my job to look out for you. And you cannot pursue this. You can't be with a girl. You know that Daddy and Mama will not be okay with that and they will lose their minds." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "This cannot be the path the you follow unless you are willing to accept that there will be severe consequences and everything will change."_

 _Callie could feel tears collecting in the corners of her eyes, and she hastily wiped them away. "But I love her, Aria. And I thought she loved me too."_

 _"I don't know what happened with you and this girl, Cal. I believe you when you say that you love her. I'm just trying to look out for you," Aria stated. She reached forward and grasped Callie's hand, squeezing it tight. "I don't care if you're gay or straight or bi or whatever you are. But Mama and Papa will care. A lot. And I don't want you to have to deal with that unless it's really worth it."_

 _"She's the love of my life. But I haven't heard from her since I left school, and her disappearing like that hurts so fucking bad. I thought that we both wanted forever, but it feels like she abandoned me, and I don't know why. It sucks." Callie paused, taking a deep breath as a few tears trickled down her face. "I don't know what to do, Aria."_

 _"I don't have all the answers for you. I really wish that I did. I just want you to be happy. And the girl in front of me seems really heartbroken and miserable. I'm not going to tell you what to do, but maybe you should choose a different path. Maybe this girl is going to cause too much pain."_

 _"She's worth it. She's worth everything."_

 _Aria nodded. "Okay. But if she isn't here, then maybe you should move on. Keep going with your life. And if you're really meant to be, then it'll happen. I believe in fate, and I know that things will work out for you," she stated, offering her sister a soft and loving smile. "But, do you really want to spend Christmas curled up in bed crying over a girl, or do you want to focus on spending time with your family and being happy, and then you can start fresh when you go back to school? If it were me, I'd choose the second option."_

 _Callie stared at her sister, knowing that she was probably right. Being with Arizona was controversial in their family, so it was a big risk to pursue that relationship. And, if the blonde had truly fallen of the face of the earth, maybe she was wasting her time sulking over something that was over._

 _But, she didn't want it to be over. It felt like things with Arizona had just been beginning. When she had said that she wanted to spend their lives together, she had meant it. She didn't want to throw that all away for nothing._

 _However, maybe this wasn't nothing. Arizona was gone without a word, and though it had only been a few days, it felt monumental. It was starting to feel like they were over, and there was nothing she could do about that. She wanted a future with Arizona, but she was really starting to worry that it wasn't actually going to happen. That terrified her, because Callie didn't know if she was ready to move on._

 _Callie looked to Aria, and she didn't want her big sister to be right about this. She didn't want her sister to be right about her parents, and moving on, and all of those hard things. Though, she liked what she said about fate. She liked the idea that if her and Arizona were supposed to be, then they would find their way back to one another._

 _She sighed, knowing that she just needed to take a step forward, and hope that everything would work out._

* * *

Callie had always been good at meeting parents. She was smart and sophisticated, but she had also learned to be charming and comical, which most parents adored. Though she didn't reach this step often, whenever a relationship hit this milestone, she knew she would excel.

Something was different with Arizona's parents.

Maybe it was the fact that she hoped they would be her in-laws one day. Or maybe it was the fact that her own parents had recently abandoned her. Whatever the reason, Callie desperately wanted them to like her, but she didn't have the confidence to back herself up. This just mattered so much, and she was terrified of screwing things up.

They had shared a wonderful meal after arriving from the airport. She had politely answered questions, but she wasn't fully opening up and sharing herself. She had constructed walls as soon as they had arrived, but she wanted to knock them down.

She just kept reminding herself that she and Arizona were meant to be. And that the blue eyed blonde bombshell was worth everything to her.

Callie found herself wandering around the house a bit after dinner. Arizona and her father were watching a football game on tv, and Barbara had promptly kicked everyone out of the kitchen. Callie wasn't sure yet where she belonged under this roof, so she started keeping to herself.

Even though this wasn't the house where Arizona had grown up, she still could see glimpses of the childhood and life that her love had experienced. Though she knew of the tragedy this family had felt, they seemed happy, and their was a genuine love throughout this home. Callie missed that feeling. She ached to be back home, as she desperately wanted to make things right with her family. She hated that she felt forced to choose between them and Arizona, and though she didn't feel that she had made the wrong choice, it didn't mean that she would not mourn the loss of her family. Seeing Arizona with her own parents just made that raw and fresh.

She found herself standing in a hallway, staring at the numerous pictures that lined the wall. Orbs of blue, tufts of blonde, and countless dimples stared back at her, and she felt a smile creep to her face. Arizona had a beautiful family, and for the briefest of moments, Callie pictured a blonde haired and blue eyed little child that was a carbon copy of her love.

They hadn't really discussed kids, so she wasn't sure where that came from, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, there was a new and present ache in her heart to fulfill that desire.

"Aren't they precious?" a voice asked, breaking Callie away from the daydream that had formed in her mind. Barbara was standing beside her, gazing at the photographs with love and adoration. "Timmy and Zona were such beautiful babies. Daniel and I were beyond lucky to have the two of them." She pointed to a picture at the beach, where Tim was giving Arizona a piggyback ride through the waves. "God, they loved each other. They were inseparable. They were always the best of friends, which they needed to be since we moved so much. They meant the world to each other."

"I can tell. Arizona doesn't talk about him much, but when she does, I can feel how much she loved her brother."

Barbara was silent for a moment as her eyes scanned across the mural of their family before them. "Losing him damn near destroyed our Zona. Never thought that she would be the same. Not much breaks our girl, but that almost did." She turned towards Callie, her soft gray eyes swimming with love. "She's been so unhappy. She's tried to fill that void in her life, but she's never been the same. Daniel and I desperately have tried to find ways to bring her back to us, but we just haven't been able to. But, then you came along, and suddenly, I really feel like Arizona is happy again. That she wants to live this life she's been given again. And Callie, I may not know you well, but I really would like to. I'd like to know the woman who brought light back into the darkness of my daughter's life."

Callie was almost speechless, but she managed to find her voice. "I'd like to know you too. Because I love Arizona, and she's becoming my family. And I want to be a part of her entire life, if you'll have me."

Barbara extended a hand, giving Callie's shoulder a squeeze. "I don't know whether it was fate or God or any other force in this world, but something brought you two together. We have a long way to go, but it seems to me that you two were made for each other. And you know, since the moment Arizona came out to us, I have been dying to know the woman that would be the love of her life. And I'm glad to have finally met her." She gave a small smile, patting Callie on the cheek before turning to continue down the hallway. "I'm going to tell those two that there's a pie ready. Come meet us in the kitchen!" she threw over her shoulder.

Callie momentarily remained frozen in place. There was something about what Barbara had said that had brought tears to her eyes. Because, despite the turmoil with her parents, she felt like she had a place that she belonged. And that was here, with Arizona.

That was worth everything.

 **I know it's been a while since I updated, so thank you all for being so patient with me! Life is busy, but I am thinking about and working on this story as much as I can. I promise that I'm not giving up on writing anytime soon! No matter what, fanfic is one of the things I love to do, so I will always find time for it.**

 **Thank you all for the love, support, reviews, follows; favorites, and so much more! I am constantly amazed by the readers that I have. Thank you, thank you, thank you!**


	16. Chapter 16

Arizona focused on the road in front of her, her hands tightly gripping the steering wheel as she navigated the streets of the city. There were a million thoughts running through her mind, and she desperately shoved them to the side. She was already overwhelmed just being here today, and the more she thought about it, the closer she got to bursting into tears. After everything she had been through, Arizona considered herself a strong woman who wasn't fazed by much. Visiting Timmy's grave always challenged that, especially on the anniversary of his death.

Callie's soft hand rested on her thigh, and she felt her girlfriend's fingers give her a slight squeeze, bringing her back to the current moment. She had been living in the past on and off since she woke up this morning, and Callie had constantly grounded her. She loved her for that.

As soon as it was decided that Callie would be coming home with her for Christmas, Arizona knew that she wanted to bring her to visit Tim. They were the two most important people in her life, and the last conversation she had ever shared with her brother had been about the Latina. She felt closest to Tim at his grave, and it was important to her to have Callie experience this with her. If they were going to build a life together, Arizona wanted her love to know her brother as much as possible.

Her parents always were wary of her visiting the cemetery, especially on Christmas Eve. They always wanted to focus on the holiday, as if they could distract her from the fact that she lost her brother and her leg on this date. She felt especially drawn to Tim today, but it was no secret that visiting him often exposed some incredibly agonizing emotions that she still hadn't fully dealt with, if she ever could.

In fact, she had stopped coming home during this time because of how poorly her grief usually went. One year she had got blackout drunk and had fallen asleep on the front lawn. Another year she had smashed every frame in the household that contained a picture from before the accident. And there was the time that she had refused to leave the cemetery, and had to be escorted home by two officers after causing a rather disturbing scene. It was fair to say that she hadn't coped well in the past, but today was different. She was different today, and she had Callie with her.

She felt her chest constrict as the cemetary came up before her. The drive hadn't been nearly long enough to prepare her fully, even though she had extensively talked about this trip with her girlfriend last night.

Arizona parked the car, unbuckling and then remaining seated. Her eyes scanned the countless graves before her, all dusted with fresh snow that had fallen early this morning. She took several deep breaths, mentally preparing to visit her brother.

Callie laced their fingers together, and Arizona turned to gaze upon the brunette. "How are you doing?"

She cleared her throat, tightly grasping the only hand she ever wanted to hold. "It's a lot. It always is. It hard to unsee what happened, you know? And I've never been able to turn that off when I'm here."

"Take your time. We will go when you are ready."

She gave a short nod as she chewed on her bottom lip, mentally shoving thoughts of bright lights, rolling cars, crunching metal, and inexplicable pain out of her mind. Every once in a while bits of the accident came back to her, and she despised every memory that creeped back into existence. Her brother and her leg were still gone, and every flash that came back to her was a cruel reminder of that.

Callie's hand was soft, strong, and the perfect link to reality. Arizona focused on those fingers, noting that the companionship Callie offered her was magical, and it made her braver than anything else.

"Let's go. Stay with me, please?"

"Of course," Callie told her, reaching across the center consol to stroke Arizona's cheek before turning to exit the car.

Arizona followed Callie, scooping up the small bouquet of flowers she had bought on the way here. Tim had never been a huge fan of flowers, but she hated visiting him empty handed. She had bought the same cliche red, white, and blue arrangement the past few years, and despite knowing that Tim would have made fun of her for it, she did think that it looked nice next to his grave.

They walked slowly through the cemetary, never releasing their hands. Arizona led the way, abundantly aware of the peace that Callie brought her. The usual feelings of denial, anger, and grief that typically flooded her on these grounds didn't overtake her. Instead, she felt sadness, but a certain peace with it, knowing that what had happened had brought her here today. And, despite the heartache and pain she had experienced, Arizona was happy with where she was at, something she never thought was possible.

Tim's headstone appeared before them, and she momentarily froze, her breath catching in her throat. Her eyes scanned his tombstone, reading the inscription that she had memorized.

"Timothy Daniel Robbins. April 11, 1976 - December 24, 1997. Beloved son, brother, and soldier."

Arizona dropped Callie's hand, sinking to her knees in front of him. The snow was damp and cold against her knees, but she didn't care. She set the flowers against his stone, removed her gloves, and placed her palms against his name. It made her feel close to her brother, which was always her goal when visiting him.

"Hi, Timmy. It's me. I know it's been a while, but I'm here now. And guess what? I brought someone with me," she said, quickly glancing back to smile at Callie. Usually she wanted her conversations with her brother to be private, but today, she wanted to share all of this with her love. "Her name's Callie. Remember the fantastic and wonderful and beautiful woman I told you about? Well, we ended up finding each other again, so I'm pretty sure that means we are meant to be. And, just like a fine wine, she's aged fucking amazingly. I love her so much, and I know you'd love her too."

Tears gathered in her eyes, and instead of wiping them away, she let them roll down her cheeks. Her fingers softly traced the letters etched into his headstone, and for a moment, she closed her eyes and pretended he was sitting right in front of her.

The Tim she saw in her mind had short blonde hair, a clean shaven face, youthful yet wise shimmering blue eyes, and he was adorned in his finest uniform. That's how he would want to be remembered, as being a soldier was something he had be unbelievably proud of.

She could practically feel him before her, giving her a goofy smile as he teased her and encouraged her to banter with him, something she would always engage in. They would joke and laugh, but also tell each other anything and everything. Sometimes when she pictured him, it was far too overwhelming, as it was just a painful reminder of how much she truly missed her brother and her best friend.

Arizona felt a hand on her back, and she glanced over to see Callie kneeling beside her. "Are you okay?" she quietly asked, her fingers slowly tracing soothing circles.

"Yeah," she replied with a sniffle, her hands brushing at her damp cheeks. "It's just a lot. It always is."

"I can only imagine. I can't even begin to comprehend what it felt, and continues to feel, like to lose your brother. I wish that he was still here and that I had the chance to meet your favorite person in the world."

"He would have adored you," she stated, her voice cracking as she gazed into chocolate orbs. "He would have been so happy that I found someone, and he would have thought you were incredible. He fully would have become your brother, no questions asked. He would have loved you fiercely, simply because I love you."

Her lip quivered as Callie encircled her in her arms. She instantly felt so much love and comfort from being held by her girlfriend, and she felt herself clutching Callie's coat in her hands as she let out a small sob.

"I fully believe that he's always with you, Arizona. He may not physically be here, but his love for you and your love for him doesn't end with his life. That's forever. He's here with us now, and thought I can't meet him, if he's listening, I'd want him to know that I'd adore him just as much." Callie cleared her throat, her voice thick with emotion. "I also want him to know that he doesn't have to worry about not being here, because I fiercely love his sister and will take care of her as long as there is air in my lungs."

Arizona glanced upward, her heart feeling like it was about to explode. God, she had been a fool to let this woman slip through her fingers. She had been crazy to walk away from the best thing that had ever happened to her. She had gotten so wrapped up in her misery and pain that she had chosen to leave the love of her life, and that was a decision that she would forever regret.

Her whole life was now devoted to righting that wrong. She knew that they shared a lot of pain between them after years of separation, and though things were going well, she hadn't forgotten that. Arizona was determined to replace all those bad memories with even better ones.

And, though she was emotional and she missed her brother, she felt so much fucking love for this woman that it was impossible not to burst out the first thing that popped into her head.

"Marry me."

Callie's eyes widened in surprise. "What?" she breathed.

Arizona gave a short nod, her whole body filled with a confidence and surety that had always been lurking within her, but now it had burst through to the surface. She grabbed Callie's hands, locking their gazes.

"Calliope Iphigenia Torres, will you marry me?"

"Arizona..."

"Look, I know this isn't the most romantic of settings and the timing seems completely off, but I've loved you for thirteen years, and I don't want to waste another second. Life is short and unpredictable and I've learned that things can vanish in a second. I don't want to wait around anymore. I want to be with you, all of you, completely, forever. So, will you marry me?"

Callie was silent for a moment, clearly taking in the life changing question that she had just been asked. She dropped Arizona's hands and reached forward, cupping cheeks that were tinted pink from the cold.

"Arizona...of course I'll marry you. The moment I saw you again I knew that I wanted to finally marry you."

She leaned forward, pulling them together and pressing her lips against rosy ones. Arizona kisses her fiercely, channeling all the joy and love and pure bliss she was feeling.

When she had pictured getting engaged to Callie, she had thought it would involve a romantic gesture and a huge sparkling diamond. She had never thought that it would happen as an impulsive decision while kneeling in the snow in front of her brother's grave. However, this moment was almost more perfect. She had shared her brother, her best friend and the source of her greatest heartbreak, with her girlfriend, and Callie had shown compassion, understanding, and so much love.

Callie was exactly the woman her brother had always wanted for her, the type of woman that he always told her she deserved. She had always known this about Callie, but being here and close to her brother, she could practically hear him screaming at her not to let this woman go again.

She wouldn't. Oh God, she was in this forever, and she wouldn't lose Callie once more as long as she lived.

* * *

Christmas music carried through the house from the kitchen, while the sounds of a football game echoed from her father's den. It was a cheery and peaceful atmosphere, and exactly the kind of Christmas Eve that Arizona wanted.

She peeked into the kitchen, only to see her mother and her fiancé laughing as they crafted stacks of cookies and several pies. Fiancé. She could hardly even believe it, and it hadn't sunk in at all. Arizona couldn't believe that she was actually going to finally marry the woman of her dreams, and it was everything she had ever wanted.

Arizona slipped into the hallway, finding the small bar her parents had set up. After selecting two glasses, she poured two fingers of scotch, her father's drink of choice, into each one. She carried them into her father's den, passing him a drink, keeping one for herself as she sunk into the armchair next to his.

"Good stuff," he commented after taking a sip. "You and Callie brought a nice bottle."

"She picked it out. She has better taste than me." Her eyes stayed trained on the screen, even though she was hardly focusing on the game.

He took another sip. "You better keep this one around."

"I plan to." Her fingers tapped on the side of her glass as she lightly chewed on her bottom lip. "I asked her to marry me today."

He turned in his seat, fully facing her. "Did you really?"

Arizona nodded. "It was very spontaneous and not planned at all but it felt so right," she told him, her mouth morphing into a smile. "She said yes, Dad."

"Congratulations, Zona." He gave her a small smile in return, reaching towards her and grasping her shoulder, giving it a tight and loving squeeze before dropping his hand. "I'm happy for you. She's a good woman."

Growing up, she had always confided most things with her mother, but there was something about her dad that often made her want to open up. She had always wanted him to really know her, and now, she wanted him to understand how wonderful and special Callie was to her.

"As soon as we met in college, I knew back then that she's the person I wanted to be with. I was foolish and I let her go. I let my grief and anger at the world take precedence, and I abandoned her. I'm not proud of that and I never will be. But, by some miracle, our paths crossed again, and though there was a lot of hurt between us, somehow we managed to work through it all and build something so incredible. I've learned from my mistakes and I try every single day to be better, because she's worth everything. She's the one, Dad, and she always has been."

Her father had always been a man of few words, so she didn't expect him to say much. However, when he set down his glass and cleared his throat, she could feel that he wanted to open up to her, just as she had to him.

He pressed his fingertips together, leaning back and looking upwards as if he was visualizing memories from the past.

"You were always such a happy baby. You had a smile on your face practically every second of the day throughout your childhood, and you brought so much happiness and joy to everyone around you. I know that you had some hard times and things weren't always easy, but still, your mother and I were amazed by how you were able to persevere through anything." He turned to her, moving closer so he could grab her hand, giving her fingers a tight squeeze. "After the accident, I thought that we'd lost you, Zona. You weren't yourself. You were miserable and angry and so done with the world, and it broke my heart. The little girl that had once brought so much light and happiness was filled with darkness, and for a while there, I wasn't sure if we would find you again."

He started tearing up, and he quickly wiped at his face. "Dad," she started, but he shook his head, telling her that he had more to say.

"Bits and pieces of you started coming back, but you weren't the same. I didn't think you would ever fully be yourself again. And then you started talking about this girl you were seeing, and your voice sounded so much happier. And as soon as you stepped off that plane, I saw something in you that I thought was lost forever. You're you again, Zona, whole and wonderful and radiating a light unlike anything I've ever seen. As far as I'm concerned, any woman that brings me back the daughter I thought was lost is pretty much the best person in the world. And you'd be a damn fool not to marry her."

Arizona moved out of her seat to fling her arms around her father. He rarely showed his true emotions and vulnerabilities, so she treasured whenever he was raw and honest with her. Hearing him open up and tell her so many wonderful things meant more to her than she could even comprehend at the moment.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Zona. And I'm so proud of you and so happy for you."

He brushed the few tears on her cheeks away, ones that she hadn't even realized had formed and fallen, just as he had when she was a little girl. Then, just as the father she knew he was, he grabbed his glass, tossed back the rest of his drink, and refocused on the game. She didn't need him to say anything else, as he had told her how he felt, and she cherished that.

Arizona moved out of the study, gravitating towards the kitchen again. Her face split into a smile as soon as her brunette beauty came into view. Callie had a bit of flour on her cheeks, her hair was messily pulled back, and she had an apron haphazardly tied around her, and still she was the most beautiful woman Arizona had ever seen.

She entered the kitchen, popping some stray chocolate chips into her mouth before looping her arm around Callie's waist and kissing a bit of flour from her cheek.

She gazed into the eyes she had always been entranced by, and she was overcome with how much love she felt. Every day she was amazed by how much more she was able to love Callie, and she was beyond ready for a lifetime of falling for her over and over again.

"Mom, Callie and I have some good news," she said, never looking away from her love. They had kept it to themselves for most of the day, but Arizona wanted everyone to know just how happy she really was.

"And what's that?" her mom asked, barely glancing up from the pie she was busily constructing.

"I asked Callie to marry me, and she said yes."

The kitchen was silent for a moment before a squeal errupted from her mother. "WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS? DANIEL, GET IN HERE! OUR DAUGHTER IS ENGAGED!"

Arizona let out a laugh as her mom pulled her and Callie into her arms, squeezing them as tightly as she could. Callie had a sparkle in her eyes and her megawatt smile across her face, and Arizona absolutely adored her.

She was pretty sure that this is what real happiness felt like, and she never wanted to let this feeling slip away.

 **Merry Christmas to all my followers that celebrate the holiday, and to those that do not, Happy Holidays!! I hope you all are enjoying the season, and that this chapter can be an early present for you!**

 **Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, and just supporting this story! All of the love I get keeps me going and constantly motivates me to write more, develop this story more, and create new and exciting ideas. I love these characters so much and I'm fully invested in this story to the end. I hope you all will stick with me as long as this story is going!**

 **Happy reading and happy holidays!**


End file.
